Mangano and Levy Call on New York's Senators to Return Critical Anti-Poverty Funding to Long Island

$1 Million in Cuts Will Have Devastating Effect on Essential Programs and Charities

 

Long Island, NY – Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy are calling on New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to address the $1 million in drastic cutbacks in federal assistance to food pantries, homeless shelters and other charities across Long Island. The funding, distributed by the United Way Worldwide, will have a devastating impact on both Nassau and Suffolk counties. The County Executives are asking that both Senators to immediately investigate the manner in which the funding is calculated and distributed.

 

“At this time, when so many people are out of work and struggling in this economy, taking away funding for these vital programs is the last thing that should happen,” said County Executive Mangano. “The fact that this convoluted and confusing formula determines who gets this critical funding is an outrage, and only results in hurting the people who need help the most. We are asking both Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand to immediately review this process and help Long Island get its fair share so both counties can continue to help our residents in need.”

“Suffolk and Nassau counties share grave concerns that these cuts to United Way will have a devastating impact on the many local agencies that help those in need of food and shelter,” said Suffolk County Executive Levy. “This is the worst possible time for such a cut -- without this funding, the working poor may well find themselves pushed toward hunger and homelessness, and possibly in need of emergency housing assistance.”

The federal government uses a complex formula - based on the unemployment rate - that benchmarks which municipalities qualify for food surplus funding. Suffolk County, for example, missed the benchmark by only 0.4%, even while communities in that county have jobless rates well above the national average. Nassau County was spared the cutbacks because the Village of Hempstead, which has an unemployment rate of 9.8%, is an unincorporated municipality and is therefore counted separately from Nassau County.

A recent study, the Hunger on Long Island Report, issued by Island Harvest and Long Island Cares, shows that Long Islanders have been hit hard by the recession.. The cutbacks will result in the possible closing of soup kitchens and emergency homeless shelters and the end of anti-poverty charities on which Long Island’s neediest residents rely.