Press Release

New York, NY – May 25, 2023 – In the bustling metropolis of New York City, a hidden army of compassionate individuals labors tirelessly to uplift the most vulnerable members of our society. They are the human service workers, and their dedication and commitment shape the fabric of our community. Their story, however, goes beyond the noble narrative. It is a tale of numbers—a testament to their immense impact and the urgent need for change. 

According to The New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) ‘State of the Sector 2023’ report, New York State is home to a staggering 116,834 nonprofit organizations. These organizations are the lifeblood of our communities, addressing pressing issues such as poverty, homelessness, and education. But their significance extends far beyond their missions. These nonprofits collectively employ over 1.4 million New Yorkers—workers who devote their lives to making a difference.  

To grasp the magnitude of this figure, let’s put it into perspective. These 1.4 million human service workers represent a staggering 17.8% of all private employees in the state. It surpasses the combined number of individuals employed in construction, finance, and manufacturing industries. Human services workers generally make about 71% of what government employees make, and 82% of what private sector workers receive for the same role.  

Behind the statistics lie the faces of individuals who have made it their life’s mission to support others. They are the case managers ensuring that individuals have access to essential services, the educators helping English language learners navigate a new language, and the advocates fighting for social justice. Their impact reaches every corner of our city, touching the lives of countless individuals and families. 

Let us consider the significant consequences to our community in the event of NMIC (Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation) ceasing all operations, resulting in the temporary discontinuation of essential crisis and self-sufficiency services that an average of 572 clients rely on each day:  

• 210 households would be deprived of a full week’s worth of nourishing food, leaving them vulnerable to hunger and food insecurity. 
• 120 English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) students would miss out on essential instruction, hindering their language acquisition and limiting their opportunities for success. 
• 98 clients would be denied critical assistance in case management and employment placement, leaving them without the necessary support to overcome their challenges and find stability. 
• 46 community members would be left without access to crucial advocacy and legal counsel, depriving them of essential guidance and representation. 
• 40 tenants would miss out on housing-related policy advocacy and legal representation, leaving them without a voice in matters affecting their living conditions and rights. 
• 31 survivors of domestic violence would not have access to our trauma informed counseling and advocacy services, leaving them without counseling, support groups, crisis intervention, and an array of other programs to help survivors heal.  
• 13 clients would be unable to receive the necessary immigration intake services, leaving them without vital support and guidance in navigating the complexities of immigration processes. 
• 12 community members would be unable to benefit from therapy sessions, denying them access to much-needed mental health support and healing. 
• 2 individuals with disabilities would lack access to the invaluable resources provided by NMIC’s Disability Advocacy Project, depriving them of assistance that enhances their quality of life and promotes inclusion. 

These numbers reveal the significant impact of human services workers and underscore the urgent need to support and value their essential work. Their absence for even a single day would leave hundreds of individuals and families without the crucial services and support they depend on. It is a stark reminder of the invaluable role these workers play in our community and the importance of ensuring their fair compensation and recognition. 

These figures paint a stark picture of the countless lives that would be affected by the absence of human service workers. However, despite their remarkable dedication, human service workers often find themselves grappling with the harsh reality of poverty wages. The compensation they receive falls far short of what is needed to sustain themselves and their families. It is a painful irony that those who uplift others are themselves burdened by financial insecurity. 

Sadly, the recent Executive Budget proposed by Mayor Adams has overlooked a crucial component: a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for human service workers. This oversight undermines their contributions and fails to acknowledge the fundamental importance of their work within our city. 

In solidarity with the Human Services Council (HSC) and various organizations across the city, including NMIC, we are rallying behind this cause. On May 25th, we will safely suspend 30% of our programs and come together at the intersection of Murray St. and Broadway Avenue. Our aim is to raise awareness and advocate for a 6.5% COLA for human service workers. Together, we strive to rectify this discrepancy and ensure that these indispensable individuals receive the fair and livable compensation they so rightfully deserve. 

We call upon Mayor Adams and city officials to recognize the immense value of human service workers and the critical nature of their work. A fair and reasonable cost-of-living adjustment is not only an investment in the welfare of these individuals but also an investment in the well-being of our entire city. 

Join us on May 25th, 2023, at 11:00 am, at the intersection of Murray St. and Broadway Avenue, where human service providers will unite to send a clear message: #JUSTPAY US MAYOR ADAMS – WE DESERVE A 6.5% COLA. 

Let us stand together to honor and support the indispensable role of human service workers. By advocating for equitable compensation, we can build a stronger, more compassionate city that values the well-being of all its residents. 

Maria Lizardo, LMSW is executive director of NMIC. 

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New York, NY— June 29, 2022— NMIC denounces the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, Maria Lizardo comments:  

The Supreme Court’s recent catastrophic decision has caused the civil rights in our nation to regress. The overturn of Roe v. Wade will undoubtedly disproportionately impact the lives of low-income, Black, and Latina women who access abortion services at the highest rates and who have the highest maternal mortality rates. Access to reproductive health services was already inaccessible to many who were already encountering systemic barriers like financial, educational, and language will now be pushed further out of reach.   

NMIC condemns the overturning of this fundamental human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy. In this moment we are pushed to re-evaluate what true reproductive health access looks like for our communities living in the fringes. Building beyond Roe means centering the voices of our community to march forward. Our mission statement is to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of the people in our community on their paths to secure and prosperous futures, and despite this Supreme Court ruling, we will continue fighting for the necessary resources for all women to lead secure and prosperous futures for generations to come. Pa’lante” 

About NMIC 

Established in 1979, our mission is to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of the people in our community on their paths to secure and prosperous futures. We provide crisis intervention with legal or social services such as eviction prevention and cash/food relief. We then support clients as they define and achieve their own goals—generally through education, workforce training, and/or community organizing. Our staff of 120 attorneys, advocates, organizers, counselors, educators, etc., serve about 14,000 clients each year with a variety of programs to address Housing, Immigration, Education/Career, Finance/Benefits, Health, and Holistic needs. We primarily serve the immigrant communities of Upper Manhattan and adjacent Bronx neighborhoods.

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Organization Will Provide Community Access to Customized Digital Education Curriculum

NEW YORK, NY (February 16, 2022) – Spectrum today announced the Nothern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) has received a $20,000 Spectrum Digital Education Grant as part of the company’s  five-year, $7-million commitment to digital education in Spectrum communities across the country.

A two-time Spectrum Digital Education Grant recipient, NMIC will use the funds for its in-house digital education program to develop and implement a focused digital curriculum for its clients. The curriculum will be integrated into its existing education classes and will teach students the benefits of broadband and help them develop a better understanding of Internet research for their everyday lives. The program also enables the program’s students to develop their skills in Microsoft Word and Excel for real-world applications. This new curriculum will enhance NMIC’s current cutting-edge virtual classrooms, which were funded by the $30,000 grant awarded by Spectrum in 2020.

Founded in 1979, NMIC strives to be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of its community by providing a variety of crisis intervention services under one roof and then transitioning clients to programs that help them develop the tools they need for self-sufficiency. One way it helps its members transition from crisis to self-sufficiency is by improving their digital literacy. 

“We applaud NMIC for their broadband education initiatives and for helping us support efforts that promote digital literacy in the Northern Manhattan community,” said Rahman Khan, Vice President of Community Impact for Charter Communications, Inc., which operates the Spectrum brand of broadband connectivity products. “Through this partnership with NMIC, the Spectrum Digital Education program is able to bring essential resources to those in need, and we look forward to working with them on this transformative project.”

Said Maria Lizardo, Executive Director of NMIC, “Digital literacy skills are increasingly important in the workforce, and many members of our community have found themselves either displaced by technology or struggling to adapt. The focused digital curriculum that we will develop and implement  through the 2021 Spectrum Digital Education Grant program will provide our students with technological fluency so that they may stand out in a competitive job market.” 

NMIC is one of four New York City recipients of the 2021 Spectrum Digital Education Grant program. Another second-time recipient, First Corinthian Baptist Church Community Development Corporation, received a grant at the end of 2021, and the remaining two recipients, the Hispanic Federation and YWCA of Brooklyn, will receive grants later this year.

The Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation is one of 49 nonprofit organizations that Spectrum is supporting through its current Spectrum Digital Education Grants. Since launching Spectrum Digital Education Grants in 2017, Spectrum has donated $7 million in cash and in-kind contributions for digital literacy programs reaching nearly 70,000 people in 20 states and Washington, D.C. More information about the Spectrum Digital Education Grants program is available aquí.

Charter sponsors several philanthropic programs in addition to Spectrum Digital Education Grants, including Spectrum Scholars, a scholarship for under-represented college juniors in financial need; Spectrum Employee Community Grants, which supports Charter employees’ local volunteer activities; and the Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund, which supports small and minority-owned businesses whose goods and services help meet core needs in financially underserved communities within the company’s footprint. More information about Charter’s philanthropic initiatives is available here.

About Spectrum

Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 32 million customers in 41 states. Over an advanced communications network, the company offers a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services including Spectrum Internet^®, TV, Mobile and Voice.

For small and medium-sized companies, Spectrum Business^® delivers the same suite of broadband products and services coupled with special features and applications to enhance productivity, while for larger businesses and government entities, Spectrum Enterprise provides highly customized, fiber-based solutions. Spectrum Reach^®delivers tailored advertising and production for the modern media landscape. The company also distributes award-winning news coverage, sports and high-quality original programming to its customers through Spectrum Networks and Spectrum Originals. More information about Charter can be found at corporate.charter.com.

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Media Contact:
Soo Kim
soo-jung.kim@charter.com
(212) 379-4275
@CharterNewsroom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NMIC NAMED AS FINALIST IN
INAUGURAL NYC IMAGINE AWARDS
NYC Imagine Awards Winners to Be Announced on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at The Edison Ballroom

New York, NY –August 31 2021– NMIC was named a Finalist in the Innovation Award category in The Inaugural NYC Imagine Awards. The NYC Imagine Awards was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of NYC metro’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations.  The success of the Long Island Imagine Awards, now in its 10th year, inspired founder Ken Cerini, CPA, Cerini & Associates LLP, to bring this innovative and inspiring event to NYC to shine a spotlight on the incredible nonprofits in and around the city.  The Inaugural NYC Imagine Awards nonprofit competition will take place on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at The Edison Ballroom, 6-10pm. 

More than 270 entries were submitted for consideration in 5 categories, including Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact and Arts & Culture. NMIC is one of four finalists in the Innovation Award category.

The Northern Manhattan, Harlem, and South Bronx Community COVID-19 Vaccination Scheduling Hotline is a collaboration between NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and NMIC to provide a wide array of services for these communities. The hotline was launched to proactively reach residents, many of whom have limited access to technology, and help them easily make appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The hotline is unique because it is tailored specifically to the Latinx community by defaulting to the Spanish language (with an English option). It is staffed by a dozen bilingual community members and provides access to free rides to and from appointments (via a collaboration with Lyft). 

Maria Lizardo, Executive Director at NMIC, explains: “Prior to launching our hotline with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, we repeatedly heard from our residents that scheduling vaccinations was challenging due to both  language and technological barriers in making appointments. We are proud that we were able to collaborate with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to eliminate those barriers and secure more than 15,000 appointments for our residents within two months of implementation. A vaccinated community is a safe community, and NMIC is helping make sure we don’t leave any neighbors behind.”

Finalists were chosen by NYC business and nonprofit professionals during preliminary judging. Members of the Awards’ Distinguished Judging Panel selected the NYC Imagine Awards winners from among the Finalists during final judging.

“Being named a Finalist in NYC Imagine Awards is an important achievement,” said Ken Cerini, Founder of the Long Island and NYC Imagine Awards.  “It means that the Organization has been identified as a leader in the NYC metro area, exhibiting impactful and innovative operations.  Congratulations to all of the Finalists on their achievement.”

Details about NYC Imagine Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at https://nycimagineawards.com/

About NMIC
Established in 1979 to support low-income tenants in Upper Manhattan, our mission is to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of members of our community on their paths to secure and prosperous futures. We provide crisis intervention with legal or social services such as eviction prevention and cash/food relief. We then support clients as they define and achieve their own goals—generally through education, workforce training, and/or community organizing. Our staff of 140 attorneys, advocates, organizers, counselors, educators, etc., serve about 14,000 clients each year with a variety of programs to address Housing, Immigration, Education/Career, Finance/Benefits, Health, and Holistic needs.

About The Imagine Awards
The Imagine Awards was created in 2012 for Long Island by Managing Partner, Ken Cerini of Cerini & Associates, LLP.  Its continued success prompted the expansion into the NYC metro area to honor organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them. The NYC Imagine Awards recognizes outstanding nonprofit performances in the region. Learn more about the NYC Imagine Awards, visit https://nycimagineawards.com/

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