Tag Archives: human services

Home, Labor Studies

Report Release: Results from the Human Services Workforce Study (10/11)

Thu, October 11, 2018
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM EDT
Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, 2180 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10035

RSVP HERE

The results are in! Join us on October 11, 2018 for the community roll-out of the Human Service Workforce Study, sponsored by the Human Services Council, Silberman School of Social Work, and the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work.

The Report, Business as Usual? A Wake-Up Call for The Human Services, reflects the experience of nearly 3,000 frontline NYC human services workers who assess how business principles and practices in their agencies affect service delivery and the values and mission of the social work profession. The important findings of this hot-off-the press study of NYC human services workplaces will be presented by the authors:

  • Mimi Abramovitz, DSW, Bertha Capen Reynolds Professor of Social Policy, Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, CUNY
  • Jennifer Zelnick, Sc.D, Professor of Social Work, Touro College Graduate School of Social Work

Three panelists will present their doctoral research–case studies based on their practice in child welfare, domestic violence, and substance abuse agencies. Their reports highlight how Abramovitz and Zelnick’s findings play out in specific human service settings.

PANELISTS

  • Jocelyn Lewiskin PhD, MSW LCSW, Psychotherapist in Private Practice, Former: Program Manager HIV and Substance Abuse Clinician, Center for Comprehensive Health Practice; PhD (2018) Social Welfare Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
  • Deborah Mullin PhD, MS, LMSW, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Silberman School of Social Work. Hunter College, Former Director of Family Services at Community Training and Education (antipoverty organization) , Former Director of Non-Residential Services at Hope’s Door (DV agency); PhD (2017) PhD in Social Work. Graduate School of Social Services Fordham University
  • Rita Sanchez-Torres, PhD, MALS MPhil, Program Director Prevention Program, Good Shepherd Services; PhD (2018) Social Welfare Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center City University of New York

Click here to view all presenters’ bios.

Be part of a dialogue with your colleagues to explore the impact of these findings for your agencies, professional practice, and clients and consider fresh approaches to improving service delivery.

Photo by Anthony Quintano via flickr (CC-BY)

Home, Labor Studies, Urban Studies

From Fast Food to Nonprofits: $15/hr in NYS

As New York State moves towards a $15/hr wage floor for fast food workers, some are asking: are fast food workers enough? In City & State this week, James Parrott and Jennifer Jones-Austin (Opinion: The Importance of a $15 Wage Floor for New York’s Nonprofits) argue for a wage increase for “[t]he 250,000 workers in New York’s nonprofit sector providing essential human services.” They write:

Over 80 percent of these workers are women, most are not represented by a labor union, and nearly two-fifths have at least a 4-year bachelor’s degree (twice the share as in fast food).

Yet half of this workforce makes less than $15 an hour. That’s not nearly enough to provide for basic family budget needs in any part of our state. Like fast-food workers, the earnings of many human services workers are so low that they qualify for public assistance.

Human services pay, they note, is directly linked to state allocations for human service contract funding. They write:

It makes good fiscal sense for the state to increase human services contract funding to raise the pay of low-paid nonprofit workers. High employee turnover will decline, yielding hiring costs savings and improved service quality. After all, many of these government-funded services are intended to help low-income families get back on their feet and to better care for their children and other family members. Improved delivery of these essential services will save taxpayers in the long run, as will the reduced use of public assistance by nonprofit workers.

For the full piece, visit City & State.

Photo by The All-Nite Images via flickr (CC-BY-SA).

Home, Murphy News

Prof. Abramovitz’s Human Services Research Gains Press

Prof. Mimi Abramovitz, who teaches at Hunter’s Silberman School of Social Work and here at Murphy, has been working on a study along with co-coordinator Jennifer Zelnick that looks at human service workplace and practice trends.

Recently, this work has been picking up press: in November, New York Nonprofit Press wrote about the human service workforce study, while two recent podcasts from the University of Buffalo’s School of Social Work discuss the effects of privatization on human services. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) Finally, in September, WVOX 1460AM ran an interview of Prof. Abramovitz conducted by Allison Sesso, Executive Director of Human Services Council of New York City, on Human Service News and Views.