Building for the future
It’s time to invest in a workforce
servicing those with disabilities
COURIER LIFE, S 24 EPTEMBER 17-23, 2021
EDITORIAL
OP-ED
You can’t make a good
omelette without breaking
a few eggs. Loosely
translated, this quote means
that, in order to achieve something,
it is inevitable and necessary
that some mistakes are
made, or some sacrifi ces must
occur.
Planned developments are
rarely perfect. But, when the
end justifi es the means for at
least one part of a community,
they can be hard to ignore.
This week, Brooklyn Community
Board 1 voted to support
Two Trees Management’s
hot-button River Ring development
on the Williamsburg
waterfront as it goes through
the city’s land use review process
— but with a laundry list
of conditions we can’t help but
agree with.
Locals hope the developers
— well known to the community
for their work redeveloping
Domino Park — will
cut the number of apartments
at River Ring (currently set
at 1,050) by 33 percent, to “reduce
the anticipated increased
load” on existing infrastructure,
but without impeding
on the potential for affordable
housing by increasing
the number of affordable units
from 25-50 percent.
That would make room
for 352 affordable units, more
than what would be available
under the current proposal.
As Williamsburg and
much of Brooklyn continues
to boom, affordable housing is
more crucial than ever.
Local organizations agree.
Last month, St. Nicks Alliance
signed on to a letter voicing
support for the project and
asking for Two Trees to commit
to sticking with their partnership
with the organization’s
Workforce Development
Center for both construction
jobs and permanent retail and
service jobs when River Ring
is completed. The carpenter’s
union voiced similar support
at a recent CB1 meeting, asking
Two Trees to commit to
union jobs and hiring locally.
While pro-development activists
often argue for more
housing at all costs, that is not
our stance. Rather, we believe
the character of neighborhoods
do matter, and should
always be taken into consideration
when proposals for
new development come before
the community — but, if hundreds
of new housing units,
including many affordable
apartments, are on the line,
that must be given proper consideration
as well.
It’s a well documented fact
that New York City has seen
an increase in population that
has greatly outnumbered the
increase in housing units,
leading the Big Apple to become
one of the most expensive
cities in the world. Killing
a proposed development which
would also include public
parks and climate resilience
simply out of an anti-developer
bias would be detrimental to
life in New York City.
But oftentimes, such beliefs
are shrouded in fear mongering
about gentrifi cation. It’s
true that Williamsburg has
seen rapid gentrifi cation in
the past decade, but the answer
to such problems is not to
build fewer apartments — it’s
to build more housing, which
would account for the expected
increase in population, while
accommodating those who already
live in the neighborhood
and don’t wish to be displaced.
The prime example of the
detrimental effects of the failure
to build more housing in
gentrifying areas is found just
a few Zip codes over, in Park
Slope. Arguably no neighborhood
has seen a greater increase
in living expenses over
the past 30 years, from when
most Slope storefronts were
boarded up, and brokers were
struggling to fi nd tenants.
Now, the cost of rent in Park
Slope is sky-high — not because
of new development, but rather
because new development is
essentially banned in the area.
While an Economics 101 supply
and-demand curve is not
a perfect indicator for real estate,
it is worth considering.
If you reject new housing out
of hand, the price of existing
units will go up — strangling
the same low-income residents
purportedly served by anti-development
activism.
Don’t allow Williamsburg
to suffer from the “not-in-mybackyard”
mantra of far too
many city residents whose
ideology has lent itself to the
housing crisis we currently
suffer from.
Allow River Ring to be built
— accept the housing units, the
affordable apartments, public
parks, and climate protection.
It’s in the best interest of the
neighborhood, and the city.
BY MATTHEW STURIALE
Every day across New
York state, more than 500,000
Direct Support Professionals
(DSPs) show up for our
community. A majority of
DSPs are women and people
of color. This workforce provides
the critical care and
supports necessary to help
more than 120,000 people
with intellectual and developmental
disabilities remain in
their homes, live in and be a
part of their communities, obtain
employment, and maintain
their independence.
Throughout the pandemic,
DSPs have been on the oftenforgotten
frontlines, caring
for those who are sick, keeping
individuals safe and engaged,
helping maintain a
sense of normalcy, and being
available 24-hours a day for
those living in congregate
settings. DSPs demonstrate
compassion, sensitivity, and
patience. They often put the
needs of those they support
fi rst, and are champions in
helping people reach their
fullest potential. Simply put,
DSPs are heroes.
As we celebrate National
Direct Support Professionals
Recognition Week (Sept.
12 – 18), it is time to invest in
this essential workforce. Governor
Kathy Hochul and state
legislators must fi nally commit
the resources necessary
to provide DSPs with an equitable
wage and competitive
benefi ts so they can pursue
their chosen career and comfortably
provide for their families.
Furthermore, the New
York Congressional delegation
should support President
Biden’s proposed $400 billion
investment into Home and
Community Based Services
in his Better Care Better Jobs
Act.
Nonprofi t providers are increasingly
challenged to recruit
and retain the skilled
direct support staff necessary
to meet the urgent needs
of people with disabilities.
The primary reasons can be
attributed to the lack of a consistent
fi nancial investment
in this essential workforce
and the implementation of the
$15 minimum wage, resulting
in wages for DSPs being
kept at or slightly above the
minimum wage. The responsibilities
of DSPs are broad
and complex, and they should
be recognized and compensated
for such. According to
a recent survey conducted by
New York Disability Advocates,
nearly 74 percent of organizations
have more vacant
DSP positions than before the
pandemic and nearly half of
surveyed agencies have had
to close programs or reduce
operations due to these staffing
shortages.
Without adequate funding,
nonprofi t organizations
will continue to face this dire
workforce crisis and essential,
life altering services and
care for individuals with disabilities
will be jeopardized.
Our direct support professionals
and the individuals
they support are counting on
us to act. We can and we must
do better.
Matthew Sturiale is President
& CEO of Birch Family
Services, a nonprofi t providing
education and community
supports to people with intellectual
and developmental disabilities
in New York City. He
can be reached at matt.sturiale@
birchfamilyservices.org.
link
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/birchfamilyservices.org