May 12th, 2020

Hon. Bill de Blasio

Mayor of the City of New York
Via Electronic Mail

Hon. Bill Chong

Commissioner
Department of Youth & Community Development
Via Electronic Mail

Ashe McGovern
Executive Director
NYC Unity Project
Via Electronic Mail

RE: NYC Unity Works Program Funding

Dear Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner Chong & Ashe McGovern:

The undersigned nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups urge you to immediately award the
contract for the NYC Unity Works Program to be administered by the Department of Youth and
Community Development (DYCD) that was scheduled to begin on July 1, 2020. As a community of
providers and advocates that are invested in the well-being and stability of LGBTQ youth experiencing
homelessness, we were extremely displeased to learn that the awarding and implementation of this
groundbreaking initiative is being placed on “pause” indefinitely. At a time when marginalized
communities are already being disproportionally impacted financially by the COVID-19 crisis, we find it
completely unacceptable that the City is not ensuring that a program that was intentionally developed
to address income inequality faced by LGBTQ youth is not being awarded as planned.

In October 2019, the City announced the NYC Unity Works program, boasting that it was the “Nation’s
Most Comprehensive Workforce Development Program for Homeless and Runaway LGBTQI Youth.” This
announcement was celebrated widely in the media and in the LGBTQI community as a huge success.
When the RFP was released in January of this year, it garnered the interest of a number of the city's RHY
providers and partner agencies with career and educational development experience who were eager to
be awarded the opportunity to run this first-of-its-kind program.

Given the widespread uncertainty and funding losses related to COVID-19 and the impact the disease
has had on City systems, we understand that a number of programs are being suspended, unfunded, or
otherwise terminated. However, RHY youth, particularly LGBTQI youth, are disproportionately
experiencing the impact of COVID-19 already and by suspending or delaying the start of this vital
program, the City will be making the decision to negatively impact this population further.

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It is important to underscore that this funding is especially vital in the wake of the unemployment and
financial recession caused by COVID-19. Relatedly, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and a number of
other agencies have just begun to underscore the inequalities and inequities experienced by LGBTQ
populations related to employment. Of note, transgender/gender-nonconforming individuals experience
unemployment at 4 times the national average. Unemployment rates among people of color also
punctuate stark realities faced by communities of color during recessions and unemployment. On
average, 90% of NYC's homeless LGBTQ youth are people of color who will undoubtedly be
disproportionately impacted, and we have already heard from the RHY provider community that a vast
majority of the youth that they serve have already lost their employment or had a drastic reduction to
their income due to COVID-19.

As with previous recessions, limited employment opportunities, coupled with high unemployment rates,
cause overqualified candidates to apply and be hired for a majority of jobs; this can be expected during
the impending recession. The Unity Works funding would place our LGBTQ youth at greater odds of
obtaining employment and furthering their educational pathways. In addition, RHY providers have
already begun bringing distance learning, job training, career development and other vital supports
online for their clients, so there would be no delay in getting this program online as scheduled even if it
means that they would have to facilitate the Unity Works Program remotely. It is commonly understood
that systemic investments, such as those made possible through the Unity Works RFP, also serve to
lessen the burden on city systems, especially during these unprecedented times.

As NYC prepares for increased unemployment among its residents, it has a responsibility to empower
and equip its most vulnerable with the tools and supports needed to survive and thrive. As such, we
strongly urge you to award the NYC Unity Works Program contract immediately.

Respectfully,

Jamie Powlovich, Executive Director

Coalition for Homeless Youth

Ali Forney Center

Brooklyn Community Pride Center
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
Cardinal McCloskey
Children’s Village
Citizens Committee for Children
Covenant House
Diaspora Community Services

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The Door
Equality New York
FedCap
Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS)
Good Shepherd Services
Grand Street Settlement
HEAT- SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI)
Housing Works
Jericho Project
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club
Lawyers for Children
MCCNY- Sylvia’s Place
Montefiore Adolescent AIDS Program
New Alternatives
New York City Youth Action Board
New York Trans Advocacy Group (NYTAG)
Princess Janae Place Inc.
Project Renewal
Rising Ground
Safe Horizon
Sheltering Arms
SCO Family of Services
Streetlives
“Art & Acceptance” @ St. Luke in the Fields
The Center
The NEW Pride Agenda
Trinity Place Shelter
True Colors United
Urban Justice Center
VOCAL-NY
West End Residences

Cc:
J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives
Raul Perea-Henze, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services
Speaker Corey Johnson, NYC Council
Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City
Susan Haskell, Deputy Commissioner of Youth Services, DYCD
Michaela Daniel, Chief of Staff for Deputy Mayor Thompson
Julie Bero, Chief of Staff for Deputy Mayor Perea-Henze
Cole Giannone, Senior Advisor, Youth Homelessness for Deputy Mayor Health & Human Services

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