4. Women’s Equality Agenda
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT
The Women’s Equality Agenda
The Human Services Council (HSC)’s work to strengthen the not-for-profit human services
sector’s ability to improve the lives of New Yorker’s in need is well aligned with the Women’s
Equality Agenda. HSC represents over 1,500 not-for-profit human service organizations through
approximately 150 direct members and has assisted New Yorkers of various backgrounds for
over 20 years. Women, in particular, are a core constituency of the organizations represented
under the HSC umbrella. HSC supports the passage of The Women’s Equality Agenda as it
serves as another way to improve the quality of life for women throughout New York State.
The Women’s Equality Agenda, proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, outlines ways in which
women are more likely to be discriminated against in housing and job markets, and the justice
system. The agenda suggests passing more legislation to eradicate current loopholes that allow
these various forms of gender discrimination and calls for stricter enforcement of current policies
to protect women against discrimination.
As the voice of human services sector in New York, HSC supports the Women’s Equality
Agenda because it is a stepping stone in achieving a goal of central importance to the work of
HSC and our member agencies, the reduction of poverty throughout New York State. The
Women’s Equality Agenda aims to help women in New York gain access to better employment
opportunities, suitable housing, and more protection by the law; strategies proven to prevent
women from falling into poverty.
Women now are the majority of college graduates, and single parent headed households yet
are still only paid $0.55 to $0.80 for every $1.00 made by a man in New York. The lack of equal
pay, as well as discrimination against women with children and pregnant women for hiring and
promotions, and sexual harassment in the workplace make many women’s experiences in the
job market difficult. With households heavily or entirely dependent on the income generated by
women, many women cannot afford to avoid such barriers by leaving the job market completely
by staying home. With women becoming such a large portion of the working population, more
needs to be done to ensure that they can continue to be sufficient providers for themselves and
their families. Women more than ever are needed to generate income and support their families,
and with current boundaries that still exist within various sectors, being able to be a provider for
their families can be very difficult.
The New York Women’s Foundation released a publication in March 2013 titled, Economic
Security and Well-being Index for Women in New York City that examines quality of life issues
for women in New York City based on categories such as citizenship status, race/ethnicity, age,
borough of residence, and neighborhood/district within a borough. It explores how such factors
affect or correlate to outcomes such as educational attainment, health/safety, and employment
status/income. The overall findings of the report state that women in New York City specifically,
face major obstacles in regards to economic stability, health, and safety matters across all
categories. 1
1
http://www.nywf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/New-York-Womens-Foundation-Report.pdf
9. The HOPE Count Blog
Making it Count: HOPE 2013
Homelessness in New York City continues to be a major issue, with an alarming 50,700
people in NYC shelters, comprised of 12,100 homeless families with 21,200 homeless
children. Nearly 1.7 million City residents officially are classified as poor, with almost one
in four living in poverty. These numbers show widening disparities of incomes, with some
of the wealthiest and poorest people living in very close proximity. The lack of affordable
housing, coupled with funding cuts to programs that provide paths to permanent housing
has also increased the number of people at risk of homelessness, and pushed once
homeless people back into the shelter system or on the streets. These numbers, while
shocking, only account for those who are currently living in homeless shelters. But what
about the homeless living on the streets?1
With a population of more than eight million, 1 in 2,506 people in New York City live on the
streets. The HOPE Count, which stands for the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate was
started in 2005 to provide a more accurate year-to-year measure of the homeless
population to assist in the evaluation of programs that help homeless New Yorkers move
into permanent housing. Volunteers travel across New York City in groups during one night
in January to calculate the amount of homeless people living on the streets, as opposed to in
shelters. 2 On the night of the HOPE Count, the City’s streets, parks, and subway stations
are separated into approximately 7,000 HOPE Areas, each about the size of a few square
blocks.3
In preparation for the HOPE Count, The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) examines
information provided by numerous nonprofit outreach organizations and past HOPE
results to divide the City into high and low density areas in which populations of
unsheltered individuals are expected to be found. DHS uses this approach to find
concentrations of impoverished people to promote sufficient use of services and work with
community members to ensure programs are effective and targeted toward high-risk
populations. The HOPE Count 2013 data was released in May with mixed results, showing
some significant changes in non-sheltered homeless rates since 2005.
Compared to 2005, The HOPE Count for 2013 recorded a 62 percent decrease in street
homelessness for “surface areas,” defined as public areas such as parks, and streets
excluding subway cars and train stations (which are calculated separately), the city
waterfront, areas beneath bridges and other city infrastructure, as well as private lots or
abandoned buildings. The HOPE Count 2013 also recorded the highest numbers of subway
homeless population ever, at 1,841 people.4 In relation to 2012, the overall number of
unsheltered people on the streets decreased only slightly (down 82 people). These figures
demonstrate that while less people are staying on the streets, more people have moved to
underground shelter. In reaction to this new data, the City and its partners will need to
1
http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/pages/basic-facts-about-homelessness-new-york-city
2
https://a071-hope.nyc.gov/hope/overview.aspx; DHS began surveying parts of the City in 2003, and has conducted
the count citywide every year since 2005.
3
https://a071-hope.nyc.gov/hope/statistics.aspx
4
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/downloads/pdf/hope_2013_web_presentation.pdf
10. Income Equality Adjustment
Memo
The gender wage gap is still a major issue in the workplace. HSC commends Governor Cuomo
for spearheading the Women’s Equality Agenda, a major step forward for women striving to live
more economically stable lives and is particularly happy to see a focus on pay equity. To further
this goal, HSC urges the governor to support the provision of an income equity adjustment for
nonprofit human services employees, the majority of whom are women.
The very first goal of the 10 point plan calls for “Strengthening laws that require Equal Pay for
Equal Work.” But the Governor has the power to move this goal along even further by
including additional funds in nonprofit human service contracts that can be used to support
salaries in this field that is heavily dominated by women.
Over the last several years, there has not been a Cost of Living Adjustment in the budget for
this critical workforce. This is substantial because Women constitute 80% of the human services
nonprofit workforce, with women of color also being 80% of the workforce. 1
Nonprofit
employees make less money compared to other sectors, with an average of $21.68 per hour
compared to other industries like state government employees who make $23.77 per hour and
local government employees who make an average of $25.16 per hour.2
These wage
differences based on industry amount to the pay difference between women and men because
higher paid industries tend to be predominately male. 3
Studies show many women are drawn to the nonprofit sector because they feel the sector is
more accommodating of working mothers, with more flexibility around childrearing. In addition,
many women report that they feel more at ease working in the nonprofit sector due to its more
nurturing and personal culture. 4
However, a downside to work in the nonprofit sector is lower
salaries compared to other industries with similar levels of responsibility. Research also shows
that occupations predominately held by women have lower salaries, such as the human
services sector5
, because of existing gender biases that result from the undervaluing of the
work. 6
This undervaluing of work has been used to justify keeping wages lower, thus perpetuating the
gender wage gap. An income equity adjustment would help women overcome these biases by
placing more value on industries like human services nonprofits with better pay matched to the
important work they do. Better pay would demonstrate that it is important to governor that
1
http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/fpi-helping-the-helpers-nonprofits-and-the-nyc-economy.pdf
2
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20081022ar01p1.htm
3
http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-by-occupation-1
4
http://www.pmranet.org/conferences/OSU2009/papers/Lee,%20Young-
joo.%20%20The%20Determinates%20of%20Sector%20Choice%20-
%20What%20Attracts%20People%20to%20the%20Nonprofit%20Sector%20and%20are%20there%20Gender%20Di
fferences.pdf
5
http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination
6
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CEcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fw
ww.iwpr.org%2Fpublications%2Fpubs%2Fending-sex-and-race-discrimination-in-theworkplace-legal-interventions-
that-push-the-envelope-
1%2Fat_download%2Ffile&ei=IUfxUaP2NJHk8gSi7YDwDg&usg=AFQjCNFfImJJ1kp5ZmDb4VfoB8EID5uykQ&bvm=bv
.49784469,d.eWU
11. Reflections
LAURINA M. SANTI
LSanti1992@gmail.com
28 Westhampton Way, UR 2006, University of Richmond, VA 23173
(914) 319-8940
EXPERIENCE
The Human Services Council of New York, New York, NY May 2013 – August 2013
Intern, Policy and Advocacy Department
· Research and drafting of memos of HSC’s support of legislation
affecting human services nonprofits
· Social media management of HSC’s Twitter and Facebook pages;
increased Twitter followers by over 100 people
· Organization of mailings and candidate packets for upcoming citywide
elections
· Event planning for a mayoral forum co-hosted by HSC
· Member outreach to HSC’s clients
· Planning and data collection for a survey co-conducted by HSC on
the human services sector’s role in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts
* Drafted, edited, and promoted several of HSC’s more recent blog posts
* Marketing and promotion of HSC’s radio show via social media
University of Richmond’s School of Law Dean’s Office, Richmond, VA August 2012 – April 2013
Student Assistant
· Aided administrative assistants on staff with basic office duties
· Delivered receipts and reimbursements to university cashier
· Photocopying and paper filing
The HOPE Program, Brooklyn, NY June 2012- August 2012
Intern, Employment Department
· Composed presentations for students/clients on job
training/interview skills
· Organized materials for mock interview exercises and
activities for students
· Created compilations of job listings/leads for clients
· Reached out to HOPE Program alums to maintain contact
with program post-employment placement
· Assisted the employment team with outreach and guidance to
Current and past clients
EDUCATION
University Of Richmond, Richmond, VA August 2010 – Present
Date of Expected Graduation: May 2014
· Major: Education and Public Policy
Prep for Prep, New York, NY June 2004 – Present
ACTIVITIES
Youth Life Foundation of Richmond, Highland Park Learning Center September 2012- Present
Richmond, VA
Student Mentor
· Tutored school aged children
Pathways to a College Experience (PACE), Richmond, VA September 2010 – Present
Student Mentor
· Assisted inner city 11th grade students in career options
after high school, with a focus on college attendance and
the college application process
SKILLS
Proficient in Spanish, Portuguese
Proficient in MAC, PC, Microsoft Office Suite, Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, Social Media, Sales force, etc.