Board of Directors Meeting - Human Services Council of New York ...

Board of Directors Meeting
Nancy Wackstein, Chair
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Held at United Way of New York City, 2 Park Avenue
Board Members:
Richard Altman
Andrea Anthony
Suleika Cabrera-Drinane
Michael Clark
Joel Copperman
Ralph Dumont
Lucy Friedman
Edward Geffner
Aileen Gitelson
Fatima Goldman
Wayne Ho
Ted Houghton
Igal Jellinek
Nancy Kolben
Joan Serrano Laufer
Paul Levine
Sr. Paulette LoMonaco
Gail Magaliff
MINUTES
Job Mashariki
C. Warren Moses
Joanne Oplustil
Cris Parque
Ellen Rautenberg
Muzzy Rosenblatt
John Ruskay
Phillip A. Saperia
Robert Schachter
Frederick Shack
Robert Siebel
Kevin Sullivan
Stephen Tosh
Jane Velez
Nancy Wackstein
Wanda Wooten
Michael Zisser
Ariel Zwang
Staff: Michael Stoller, Allison Sesso, Cecelia Burchett, Cynthia Dames, Kristen
D’Elia, Michelle Jackson, Dominic Muntanga, Chris Winward.
Guests: Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs, Kamal Bherwani, Louisa Chafee, Amanda
Kahn Fried, Christina Valdez.
Call to Order
Nancy Wackstein welcomed the attendees and called the meeting to order.

Minutes of HSC Board Meeting 1/14/09
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Minutes
The minutes of the Board meeting of Wednesday, November 12, 2008 were
unanimously approved with an amendment by Muzzy Rosenblatt, upon motion by
Frederick Shack seconded by Fatima Goldman.
Chair’s Report
Nancy Wackstein thanked members for supporting the HSC Leadership Awards
Reception. HSC reached our financial goal for the event. Nancy reminded attendees of
the upcoming HSC Budget Briefing with Joe Baker, New York State Deputy Secretary of
Health and Human Services, on January 16, 2009 from 1:00pm –3:00pm at HSC. She
highlighted the need for the human services sector to work together to protect vital
services, especially during the challenging times ahead.
Vote to Approve Technology & Referral Committee Chairs
Following a brief introduction and upon motion by Gail Magaliff, seconded by Muzzy
Rosenblatt, the Board unanimously approved Stephen Tosh (of Phipps Community
Development Corporation) and Gary Carter (of Little Sisters of the Assumption Family
Health Service, Inc.) as the new Technology & Referral Committee Chairs.
Audit Committee Report and Vote to Approve
Joanne Oplustil reported on HSC’s audited financial statement for the year ending June
30, 2008. Total assets for the year were $638,210, an increase from the $543,908 for
the year ending June 30, 2007. Total public support and revenue were $1,156,995
compared to the $1,142,754 for the year ending June 30, 2007. Expenses decreased
from $1,152,778 in 2007 to $1,046,820 in 2008 due to the loss of the Disaster
Preparedness program, which also contributed to a deficit.
The Audited Financial Statement was unanimously approved upon motion by Muzzy
Rosenblatt, seconded by Suleika Cabrera-Drinane.
Executive Director’s Report
Michael Stoller announced that Dominic Muntanga, Membership Coordinator, will be
leaving HSC to help his homeland, Zimbabwe, which is going through an
unprecedented crisis. Dominic expounded on his initiative to mobilize the 3-5 million
Zimbabweans around the world to play a constructive role in rebuilding their country. He
is in the process of establishing the Council for Zimbabwe www.zimcouncil.org and
welcomes any type of assistance from members.
Michael Stoller gave an update on HSC’s budget, which is solid through June 30, 2009.
However, it is anticipated that HSC may lose members as agencies cut their budgets.
HSC will reduce the work load of some consultants and transition other tasks to core
staff, whose positions are funded through grants.
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Michael reminded the Board to ask their board members to sign onto a state-wide
progressive tax petition being circulated as part of efforts to balance the budget. Alison
Sesso will circulate the six policy proposals by the Independent Sector, to help
strengthen the ability of Americans to improve our communities and the world through
not-for-profit organizations. Muzzy Rosenblatt commended HSC’s leadership in
government relations advocacy and proposed a reasonable increase in membership
dues to help continue HSC’s invaluable work.
Vote to Change Name of Development Committee to Membership & Development
Committee
Upon motion by Wayne Ho, seconded by Igal Jellinek, the Board unanimously voted to
change the name of the Development Committee to the Membership & Development
Committee. Joyce S. Johnson and Jack Lund will remain as co-chairs.
Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs on City budget, COLAs, and HHS-Connect
Nancy Wackstein welcomed Deputy Mayor Gibbs and congratulated her on the
appointment of the new Commissioner for the Department for the Aging, Lilliam Barrios-
Paoli, for whom HSC and the United Way of NYC will be hosting a reception. Noting the
challenging financial times, Nancy highlighted HSC and the sector’s commitment to
helping the City preserve social services during this economic crisis. Following
introductions, Deputy Mayor Gibbs gave remarks on the current state of the City, State,
and federal budgets, highlighting the impact of budget changes on the not-for-profit
sector. Specifically, she focused on the City’s efforts to plan for cutbacks in funds
received from the State and federal governments and discussed the City’s priorities with
regard to the federal stimulus package, which include an increase in FMAP (Federal
Medicaid Assistance Program) funding, additional CDBG (Community Development
Block Grant) funds, additional WIA (Workforce Investment Act) funds, and to a lesser
degree, more ESG (Emergency Services Grant) funds. Noting the dramatic decrease in
government and private sector revenues, Deputy Mayor Gibbs highlighted the need for
collaboration between government and the sector to address the destabilization of many
not-for-profit agencies.
The Mayor’s preliminary budget proposal is set to be released at the end of January and
cuts should be expected. Since November, the general financial situation of the City has
worsened and according to predictions by the Independent Budget Office and others,
the decline may continue for another 18 months. Unemployment continues to increase
and while Cash Assistance caseloads are currently flat, they are expected to increase in
many communities. The City does recognize that the demand for services increases
during these times and is trying to make budget choices that best protect core services.
Defining “core” however is no easy task and the City does have a legal requirement to
fund certain mandated services, limiting its ability to preserve full funding for many
worthwhile preventive services. Deputy Mayor Gibbs also noted that City agencies will
have head count reductions.
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Louisa Chafee, Director of Management Innovation for the Office of the Deputy Mayor
for Health and Human Services, reported that New York City and HSC have
successfully been working together on the COLA Taskforce. Funding for current year
COLAs is in place, and we are working collaboratively to identify savings that can be
applied to the out-year COLAs. Pricing formulas for the recommendations that will be
implemented are currently being developed. Many of the expected savings will be
achieved through an approach dependent on economies of scale. Nancy Wackstein
thanked Louisa for her role supporting the City and not-for-profit collaborative efforts
around COLAs.
Members asked whether there would be any changes to the City housing infrastructure
and inquired about the City’s plans to ensure access to capital for developers. Deputy
Mayor Gibbs highlighted the ongoing discussions in Washington to ensure that
resources from the federal stimulus package are extended to the not-for-profit sector to
promote community development projects, including infrastructure development. She
encouraged HSC and the sector as a whole to do more to show evidence on the impact
of programs, especially core services, to justify financial support. Deputy Mayor Gibbs
also invited members to submit proposals to support the City’s advocacy efforts to
access funding for various programs from the federal stimulus package as well as
highlight essential policy changes needed to facilitate the distribution of resources to
agencies and communities.
Deputy Mayor Gibbs commended New York City and especially the Mayor for
leadership in using technology to improve service delivery. It was noted that the
incoming administration in Washington will prioritize technology, which may positively
impact the City’s technology initiatives.
Kamal Bherwani, Executive Director of HHS Connect and Chief Information Officer,
described the City’s ACCESS NYC technological initiative. ACCESS NYC is part of
Health and Human Services Connect (HHS-Connect), the City’s new initiative to utilize
ground-breaking and innovative technologies to improve the City’s ability to serve its
Health and Human Service clients while providing better customer service and online
access.
ACCESS NYC is a free and easy-to-use website (www.nyc.gov/accessnyc) that allows
New Yorkers to get information about, screen for, and apply for benefits from over 35
City, State, and federal benefit programs. New Yorkers can find out which programs
each member of their household is potentially eligible for, print applications, find out
which documents are needed to apply, find out how to apply and where to go to apply.
ACCESS NYC can be used in seven languages: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Haitian
Creole, Russian, Arabic, and English.
Mr. Bherwani highlighted the City’s commitment to improving service delivery and
encouraged the not-for-profit sector to help identify sector-wide issues to address and/or
incorporate in the design of the systems. HSC will be working with the City through the
Technology and Referral Committee to identify issues and opportunities to help
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increase operational efficiencies and effectiveness in the system and overall service
delivery.
New Business
The HSC Disaster Preparedness Committee intends to meet around plans to revive the
Disaster Preparedness program with funds remaining from the Altman Foundation
grant. A meeting with Congressman Charles Rangel has also been scheduled to
discuss, among other things, access to homeland security funding for New York City.
Members suggested that not-for-profit sector funding through the federal stimulus
package be included on the agenda for the meeting with Congressman Rangel.
Furthermore, it was suggested that HSC send a generic letter to the New York
Congressional delegation emphasizing the need for funding for not-for-profit providers.
The establishment of a committee to deal with the federal government on issues of
concern to the sector was also proposed.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned upon a motion by Fatima Goldman, seconded by Nancy Kolben.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
United Way of New York City, Board Room
2 Park Avenue, 2 nd Floor (Corner of 32 nd Street)
Dominic Muntanga
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