January 8, 2025
The following is an op-ed written by CEO Bill Gettman and published in the Times Union
At a time when New York is facing fiscal headwinds and difficult choices, it’s easy to believe that cutting funding is the only way forward. But what if the answer isn’t necessarily about spending more, but about spending smarter?
Across our state’s human services system, inefficiency is costing taxpayers millions while delaying care for children, families and vulnerable residents. Providers must navigate layers of redundant regulations, overlapping agency requirements and outdated systems. These unnecessary barriers increase administrative costs, frustrate families and strain already-overburdened staff.
The good news: There’s a clear path to relieve pressure on the system and deliver better outcomes while also saving the state money.
Northern Rivers’ “Less Red Tape. Better Results.” policy recommendations urge lawmakers to make nine changes that would streamline operations, improve access and reduce long-term costs. They include establishing a portable clearance passport to replace duplicative background checks; recognizing a standardized assessment so families don’t have to repeat their stories to multiple agencies; easing workforce shortages by expanding the scope of practice for bachelor-level professionals; and modernizing audit and telehealth regulations to increase efficiency and access.
These proposals do not compromise safety or oversight. In fact, they improve accountability through consistency and data integration. By removing unnecessary steps, we free up both public resources and staff capacity to focus on what matters most: helping people.
This is the right conversation to have in this budget climate. Lawmakers are right to demand sound stewardship of tax dollars. Reforming the system to be more efficient is not only possible, it is fiscally responsible.
Alongside these cost-saving strategies, we are asking for a 2.7% targeted inflationary increase for the nonprofit human services workforce. One in nine New Yorkers works in this sector, most of them women and people of color, providing services that stabilize lives and reduce future public costs. Yet turnover remains at crisis levels, reaching 42% to 57% in child welfare, and nonprofit wages trail far behind public-sector salaries. A bachelor’s-level caseworker in a nonprofit earns roughly $46,000, compared with $61,000 in a state role.
We are not asking for an expansion of services. We are asking for the means to maintain the workforce we already have. The 2.7% request aligns directly with the 2025 Consumer Price Index, nothing more, and helps prevent further erosion of purchasing power. It is a modest investment that keeps experienced staff in the field, sustains quality care and prevents costly turnover.
Together, these two elements — policy reform that reduces waste and a reasonable adjustment that stabilizes the workforce — offer a blueprint for strengthening New York’s human services infrastructure.
Families should not have to repeat their trauma during yet another intake. Workers should not need food assistance while caring for those in crisis. And taxpayers should not shoulder costs driven by inefficiency. Streamlining processes and modestly supporting the workforce are not competing ideas. They work together to deliver better results for children, families and the state.
November 14, 2025
It’s time to launch our 2026 NYS budget advocacy! Over the past few years, we’ve succeeded in getting annual investments from Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature for the Human Services sector, thanks in large part to your help. We need you again, starting now.
Our sector has collectively agreed to request a 2.7% investment (also known as a “targeted inflationary increase”) this year. As in past years, this number was calculated in response to the federal consumer price index. Previously, we have asked for investments making up for three-year periods; this year, in light of the current economic climate we’re only asking to keep pace with the most recent 12-month increase.
This Monday, November 17, Human Services professionals from across the state will be calling Governor Hochul to establish where we stand as a sector, and we’re asking you to lend your voices as well.
To help, call Governor Hochul at 518.474.8390, and urge her to include a 2.7% targeted inflationary increase for Human Services in her 2026 budget.
We’ve got a whole lot more coming this advocacy season, including some things we’ve never done before. Come along with us as we fight for our sector, our clients, and our workforce!