Call for City to do More to Defund Police and Support Youth Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2020
Contact: Liz Hallgren, lhallgren@skdknick.com

Good Shepherd Services Applauds Youth Who Inspired Reallocation of NYPD Funds to Summer Programming; Urges City to do More to Defund Police and Support Youth Services

New York, NY – As New York City finalizes a city budget that partially reinstates funding for summer youth programming, Good Shepherd Services’ Executive Director, Michelle Yanche, released the below statement:

“We applaud the City Council for partially reinstating funding for youth and summer programming in this year’s budget. This victory speaks to the power of young people across our city who are fighting for city leaders to reevaluate public policy and funding priorities. As has often been the case throughout history, it is the young people who are taking the lead and driving the movement for social justice – and it is their unyielding determination we have to thank for this enormous accomplishment.

Now, we call on the city to do more – more for our youth, more for racial and social justice, more for the programming that is making a transformative difference in the New York City communities that have been disproportionately affected by the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, by budget cuts and lay-offs, and by our city’s history of structural racism, economic disinvestment and over-policing. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and the calls to cut the NYPD budget and shift those investments to communities of color. This needs to be the beginning of the change we want to see, and we expect continued action to bring about sustainable, systemic change beyond what this budget provides.

The funding restorations for summer programming that were adopted with the budget last night are critical to prevent many of our city’s youth from losing another season of learning and healthy development. However, the tremendous disruption and upheaval created by this budget process and the cuts that still did go through have had a destabilizing effect on the city’s youth services system and the communities it serves. We are further devastated to learn of cuts to community schools and foster care programs, which will disproportionately impact communities of color. After bearing the brunt of the pandemic, our families and communities need critical support for economic relief, recovery and renewal. An investment in programs and services that promote stability and growth is what our city needs every day, but most importantly in times of crisis.”

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About Good Shepherd Services:
Good Shepherd Services goes where children, youth, and families face the greatest challenges and provides resources that build on their inherent strengths to help them thrive. Good Shepherd operates over 80 programs, which help nearly 30,000 youth and family members in struggling neighborhoods throughout New York City. All programs are united by a common goal—to create opportunities that help our participants succeed at school, at home, and in their community.