Thank you, Chairs Won and Stevens, and the esteemed members of the Committees on Contracts
and Children and Youth for the opportunity to submit testimony on the significant challenges
related to late payments to human service providers. My name is Chris Mann, and I am the AVP
of Policy and Advocacy at Win, the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing to families
with children in New York City and the nation. We operate 16 shelters and nearly 500 supportive
housing units across the five boroughs. Each night, nearly 7,000 people call Win “home,”
including 3,800 children.
As both a shelter and supportive housing provider, Win sees firsthand the extreme challenges
that late payments create for non-profits serving New Yorkers in need. Despite the City’s effort
to clear the $4 billion backlog of unpaid contracts, late payments remain a persistent and harmful
problem. Right now, Win is owed $4.5 million in back payments from the City. Yet, we continue
to operate without timely compensation.