Chief Executive Officer, Frederick Shack has been named co-chair of a task force that will examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on New York’s nonprofit human services providers.
The task force, convened by the Human Services Council and co-chaired by Jamie Rubin, Chief Executive Officer of Meridiam North America, will look at the effect of the pandemic on the nonprofit human service sector and make recommendations for recovery.
Fred stated that, “Turning the corner on COVID-19 must be our city and state’s first priority, and it will require a responsive and collaborative government willing to work with those of us who know firsthand what this virus has done and how we can overcome it, and this task force is ready to take on those major issues.”
The nonprofit sector serves community members in need of a variety of services during ordinary times. In times of crisis, the number of people in need grows and the services needed can shift, but nonprofits meet the call. Throughout the pandemic, not-for-profit organizations have staffed food pantries, delivered meals, provided shelter, and provided childcare and senior care, among many other essential services to our most vulnerable community members, even as their own financial stability was threatened.
Prior to the pandemic, the human services sector already struggled to make ends meet. But the pandemic has also left nonprofits even more vulnerable, as government funds have been cut and payments slowed, and as fundraising has fallen due to the financial crisis. Many organizations have been forced to lay off employees and some to close altogether, while others remain at risk. Nonprofits downsizing or closing impacts struggling communities through both the loss of services and the loss of employment. These organizations must be kept strong in order to continue to support both the people they serve and their workforce doing essential jobs.
This is why over the coming months, the task force will conduct surveys and collect data to document the status of the human services sector and make recommendations for how the sector can rebuild. The recommendations of the task force will also serve to inform Mayoral candidates on nonprofit needs as the city enters into the 2021 election cycle.
You can read more about the task force in the Gotham Gazette here.
