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November 19, 2024

Comptroller report shows New York unemployment payouts, workers' comp, lag most states

By Victor Ocasio

Read on Newsday

Updated November 19, 2024 5:25 pm

A new report by the New York State Comptroller’s Office shows that the state lags behind others when it comes to cash payouts for several social safety net programs meant to help unemployed or injured workers.

The report, published by Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s office last week, found that New York State’s maximum payout for unemployment of $504 per week ranked lower than most of the country.

Twenty-nine states, including Massachusetts ($1,033), New Jersey ($854), Vermont ($705), and Texas ($577), offer a higher maximum in unemployment cash benefits.

The report examined social insurance programs overseen by the state, including unemployment insurance, workers’ comp, and paid family leave, and compared payouts to neighboring states and states with comparable population sizes.

"We saw the importance of these benefits in helping employees meet household needs during the pandemic, keeping countless families from slipping into poverty," DiNapoli said in a statement.

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As of Oct. 5, over 138,000 New Yorkers have claimed unemployment insurance benefits this year, according to the report. The year before, the state received nearly 170,000 claims for workers’ compensation.

More than 163,000 paid family leave claims were paid in 2022, the latest year such data are available. The report did not include data about temporary disability insurance — a type of assistance for non-work-related injuries or illnesses paid for by worker contributions.

The state’s unemployment benefits system faced a major road test during the COVID-19 pandemic, when nearly 1.9 million jobs statewide were lost temporarily or otherwise, said Gregory DeFreitas, Hofstra economics professor and director of the university’s Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy.

The state still owes the federal government $6.2 billion in debt from borrowing funds to pay out a record number of unemployment claims spurred by pandemic job losses, according to the report.

"We’re only one of three states in debt like that," DeFreitas said. "What that means is we really can’t raise benefits until we repay that $6.2 billion or raise taxes."

A 'balancing act'

For those working with the Island's impoverished residents, the state's benefit levels are inadequate given the cost of living.

“There are people coming for food assistance because they are not getting enough in benefits be it SNAP or unemployment or anything else they are entitled to,” said Paule T. Pachter, chief executive of Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank.

He added that “unemployment is not going to be able to sustain a family living on Long Island."

“Shame on New York for being so low on list given the economics of the state,” Pachter said, reacting to the findings in the comptroller's report.

Moved upLike with the state’s workers’ comp payments, which are capped at $1,171.46 per week and rank 30th in the nation, there are other factors to consider when weighing the effectiveness of such social safety net programs, DeFreitas said.

"With workers’ comp, in addition to the cash benefit, many of those workers are getting medical benefits, which can be very substantial," DeFreitas said.

Vanessa Baird-Streeter, president and chief executive of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, said increasing benefits for New Yorkers was important but had to be weighed against the potential impact on employers.

"We know that New York is one of the highest-cost states for doing business, but there’s a balancing act in place in making sure businesses stay in New York State," said Baird-Streeter, whose organization helps Islanders apply for safety net programs such as SNAP and Medicaid.

Steven Kent, economics professor at Molloy University's business school, said it's important to note that New York was among a handful of states that offer temporary disability insurance and paid family leave. Like Baird-Streeter, he emphasized it's important to view what New York offered as a whole package and consider the potential costs to employers who largely fund the state’s safety net.

"On the one hand you want to make sure the people of New York get very solid benefits," Kent said. "But at the same time, we want to make sure that our local economies are welcoming to all businesses."

November 18, 2024

Black Women of Long Island holds awards brunch

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

Read on Newsday

Updated November 17, 2024 8:29 pm

Celebration and recognition were both in the air at a Sunday brunch honoring the achievements of Black women on Long Island.

Dozens of women from across Long Island gathered in Freeport for the second year of the event organized by the group Black Women of Long Island, which honored more than 20 Black women leaders and changemakers.

Winners included a cross-section of people such as educators, business leaders, medical professionals and beyond.

Renee Daniel Flagler, executive director of Girls Inc. of Long Island and one of the honorees, said her advocacy to help youth overcome disparities is not for the sake of recognition but noted that getting it is humbling.

“Affirmation from your own community is tremendous,” said Flagler, of Baldwin.

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Judith Jacques, founder of Black Women of Long Island, said the organization was born out of a need for greater community among Black women in the area.

She started off with a WhatsApp group. Then in 2022, she created the Black Women of Long Island group on Facebook. Today the group has more than 4,000 members.

Sunday’s awards brunch marked the end of a three-day event aimed at empowering and uplifting Black women. Other events that were part of the celebration included a kickoff mixer on Friday. On Saturday, the organization held an all-day conference at Hofstra University.

“I want to create spaces where Black women feel safe and they feel seen and they're celebrated, unapologetically,” said Jacques, of Amityville. “And I wish that every Black woman who leaves this space today feels exactly that.”

On Sunday, attendees young, old and in between mixed and mingled.

They heard from many of the women who won awards, including Vanessa Baird-Streeter, president and CEO of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island. Other award winners included chef Sandy Pierre and state Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont).

Valerie Cartright, a New York State Supreme Court justice who was also an honoree, said it's important to be in the room with women, many of whom who have experienced some of the same challenges she has.

“It’s humbling to be amongst so many sheros and ladies that are … treating ceilings as though they’re floors,” she said.

Yolanda Hutchinson, an awardee and superintendent of Parks and Recreation in the Village of Hempstead, said the events held special significance because they happened shortly after Vice President Kamala Harris lost her presidential bid to Donald Trump. If Harris had won, she would have been the first Black and Asian woman to be U.S. president.

“And to see that, and after maybe less than two weeks shy of that, to be in a room full of Black women — just soaking up that knowledge and their expertise and all the beauty and all the life that they have — is simply amazing,” she said.

September 12, 2024

Experts: Census data masks deeper concerns for Long Island's poor

By Olivia Winslow and Arielle Martinezolivia.winslow@newsday.com,arielle.martinez@newsday.com September 12, 2024 12:01 am

Read on Newsday

Child poverty rates in Suffolk last year rose from 2022 at a level viewed as statistically significant by the U.S. Census Bureau, but the federal government's one-size-fits-all approach continues to discount the financial hardship for "structurally poor" Long Islanders, according to poverty experts.

The Census Bureau statistics released Thursday showed that while Suffolk County's overall poverty rate in 2023 was statistically unchanged from the year before, for children under 18 it climbed just over 2 percentage points from 6.2% to 8.3%, a change the agency considers statistically significant.

Nassau's child poverty rate saw a decline the Census Bureau considered statistically insignificant, from 6.2% in 2022 to 5.1% in 2023.

High cost of living

What's missing from the new Census report, experts said, was an accounting of the true level of poverty on Long Island, fueled by a high cost of living, compared to other parts of the United States.

"The federal definition of poverty is so ridiculously low, we look wonderful," said Richard Koubek, chair of the Welfare to Work Commission of the Suffolk County Legislature, citing Long Island's low poverty rate and high median household income.

The latest Census Bureau data confirmed Long Island's low poverty rate and high median household income, $132,080 in 2023, compared with national median for the year, $80,610.

The overall poverty rate for Nassau and Suffolk counties was 6.1% in 2023, not statistically different from the year before, when it was 5.9%, according to Newsday's analysis of the 2023 one-year estimates from the bureau's American Community Survey.

In 2023, according to the census data, the nationwide poverty rate threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $30,900, far short of what's needed for a family to make it on Long Island, Koubek said.

"Our cost of living is so high that our poverty level should be doubled the $30,000," he said. "You've got to regionalize the federal poverty rate." But he lamented, "any attempt to do that has failed."

Statistics belie struggles

Nassau's poverty rate was estimated at 5.4% in 2023, virtually unchanged from 2022 when it stood at 5.3%. Suffolk's was 6.5% in 2022 and 6.8% in 2023, a statistically insignificant change.

The Census Bureau showed New York State's poverty rate was more than double Long Island's in 2023, at 14.2%. The national poverty rate was 11.1% that year, the bureau reported.

Long Island's poverty rates are typically lower than the state or national levels, but that belies the struggles that many Long Islanders face, several human service providers said.

"There are very well defined and well worn pockets of poverty on Long Island," said Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive of Garden City-based Family & Children's Association (FCA).

The association serves about 36,000 people annually, providing a range of services, including behavioral health, housing programs, seniors programs and recovery programs, as well as a food pantry.

"Single moms with kids are having a rough time. Long Island hasn't figured out how to address pockets of poverty," Reynolds said. The census data show that the poverty rate for female-headed households on Long Island with no spouse present was higher than other groups, at 10.9% in 2023 — 10.8% in Nassau and 10.9% in Suffolk.

'Transportation barriers'

Reynold said Suffolk County's larger geographic area adds "transportation barriers," such as limited bus service, to the list of challenges facing families with limited incomes.

"In Suffolk access to services is hampered and child care is harder to access," Reynolds said. "It's harder to get your kids there, drop them off, get yourself to work, pick them up. These things many Long Islanders struggle with become infinitely harder" for poor single mothers, he said.

The latest census data ignores "systemic issues that keep families locked in poverty: lack of access to child care, lack of access to well-paying jobs, the lack of housing options," Reynolds said.

In an email, Vanessa Baird-Streeter, president and chief executive of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, estimated that about 20% of Long Islanders are considered "structurally poor. This means they struggle to meet the high cost of living despite earning above the federal poverty line."

She added: "Many of our clients are continually faced with the difficult choices between paying for housing, utilities, food, and health care. The ongoing lack of affordable housing options continues to drive up costs, making it increasingly challenging for lower-income residents to find suitable living arrangements. ... it’s important to reflect on what this means for the children in these families. Children in lower-income households are more likely to experience poor health outcomes."