March 20, 2013 -- Calling the charge by the Democratic-controlled Board of Legislators that the Astorino administration has cut services to Westchester's most needy in the areas of child care, homeless services and nutrition programs patently untrue, Commissioner of Social Services Kevin McGuire today issued the following rebuttal.
General Points
- The budget for the Department of Social Services (DSS), the county's largest department, has risen by 2 percent since 2010 when Astorino took office, to $559 million, from $542 million. This despite the fact that state and federal aid for the needy has been cut. As a consequence, the county's direct contribution to the DSS budget has increased 12 percent over this time, to $267 million, from $238 million. The DSS budget represents 48 percent of the county property tax levy.
- The number of day care slots that the county subsidizes has increased by 593 or 18 percent, from 3,223 to 3,816. The county's low income child care subsidy program has remained open to all eligible applicants up to the maximum income limits permitted by law. In addition, the Title XX program has remained open to families who no longer qualify for low-income day care subsidies because their income has grown to exceed the eligibility limits. Title XX covers families whose income goes up to 275 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL).
- The value of benefits issued under Food Stamps/SNAP to Westchester residents has increased by $153.4 million in total since Astorino took office.
Point by Point Analysis of the Board of Legislators' Press Release
DAY CARE
Fiction: The low income day care parent share has increased by 164 percent since 2009, yet the cost of the program has increased only 6 percent over the 2009 funding level. Child Care Block Grant (CCBG) revenue is used to offset the Low Income Daycare Expenses. At a Town Hall meeting in Ossining Astorino claimed that the day care program had run out of money halfway through 2012 when it actually ended up with a $3.7 million surplus.
Fact: The parent share when Astorino came into office was 15 percent. The parent share was raised to 20 percent in the 2012 budget, which was unanimously supported by the Board of Legislators. The 2013 budget set the parent share at 27 percent as a result of a compromise by Democrats and Republicans. At 27 percent, the Westchester parent share is less than New York City parents pay. More than 30 counties around the state have parent shares of 35 percent. Without the increase in parent share, the program would not have had enough money to stay solvent throughout the year. Actual expenses in 2012 for Low Income Child Care subsidies outstripped the budgeted allocation by $1.67 million. Actual expense in 2012 for so-called Title XX subsidies exceeded the budgeted allocation by about $220,000 at year-end.
Fiction: In 2009, the average March expense for Low Income Day Care was $91; now, in 2013, the average expense will increase to $240.
Fact: In January 2010 when Astorino took office, the typical Low Income Child Care household (i.e. household size of 3, income at 133% of the FPL or $24,352) paid $76. Such a family pays $145 a month today. The increase is about $2 a day, even if there is more than one child in the household on income of $25,390 a year. As of Feb. 1, 2013, a household with income at 133% of the FPL, would pay a monthly family share of $240 or more ONLY IF it were comprised of 7 or more members with countable income of more than $41,000 a year.
HOMELESS
Fiction: The number of homeless families in Westchester has increased by 40% since 2009. In 2009 the average annual family homeless rate was 3,588 and now in 2013 that number is projected to be 4,980. That is almost an increase of 1,400 homeless families in Westchester County.
Fact: The "annual rate" is the sum of 12 monthly averages for budgeting purposes. It cannot be extrapolated into number of homeless families. The total number of homeless households in Westchester is up by about 10 percent since 2009. In 2009, DSS served an average of 651 homeless households a month of which about 300 were families. DSS presently has the capacity to shelter about 800 homeless households.
Since coming into office, the Astorino administration has saved millions of dollars by closing shelters that were no longer needed. The county was paying operators for empty beds. The reason for the empty beds is that the county has greatly reduced the time spent in shelters by getting individuals and families into permanent housing faster.
FOOD STAMPS/SNAP
Fiction: While the use of food stamps has increased in the county, the Food Bank of Westchester is slated to get no funding from the County in 2013. Once again, while the BOL's Democratic caucus tried to restore funding levels, the coalition of BOL Republicans and two Democratic legislators all eliminated it. (Astorino has since "promised" the funding that was cut for 2013, though no A&C contract has yet been furthered by the Administration.) The Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless will not receive funding in 2013 either. Again, the BOL Republican-led coalition denied the budget addition forwarded by the Democratic caucus.
Fact: Both organizations will receive $72,000 each in 2013, the same amount each received in 2012.
Beyond that, Westchester County was the first county in the state – and the only one outside of New York City – to apply for and conduct a D-SNAP Program ("disaster" SNAP) in response to Superstorm Sandy. Benefits were authorized for 2,624 households including some 6,200 individuals. This amounted to more than $3.4 million in benefits to those in need – about $1 million to new recipients and an added $2.4 million in supplemental help to those already on food stamps.