Restoring Momentum
Don’t let the City take nutrition off the plate of people with AIDS!
As Mayor Bloomberg and City Council engage in negotiations over a $59.4 billion proposed budget that would go into effect on July 1, the fate of critical services for low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS hangs in the balance. Part of the Mayor’s proposed budget includes a cut of 50 percent ($491,000) to HIV nutrition services funded through the NYC Human Resources Administration / HASA (HIV/AIDS Services Administration).
The nutrition program cut is targeted exclusively at the Momentum Project, an affiliate of Village Care of New York. The loss of these funds, for which there is no alternative source of revenue, represents a cut of nearly 16 percent of Momentum’s overall budget. If enacted, it would have serious repercussions on the ability of our program to continue functioning at its current level.
We provide congregate meals and pantry service to the hardest-to-reach individuals with HIV/AIDS in a non-judgmental and supportive environment in nine communities in four boroughs. Momentum has a comprehensive team of nurses, nutritionists, social workers, chaplains and other specialists who engage more than 3,000 low-income individuals with HIV/AIDS every year during meals, and educate, counsel and link them to primary health care, mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing and other essential services.
We work with people when they are in crisis; that is, when they are in seriously failing health, are poorly nourished or need to get better quickly but simply don’t know how. Sixty-four percent of Momentum clients have an AIDS diagnosis; 87 percent have incomes of under $10,000; 90 percent are persons of color, and one-third of all clients are homeless or unstably housed.
It is inconceivable that the Mayor would chose to balance the budget by cutting services for the most vulnerable New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. The City Council must restore this cut.
We need you to call your City Council member, Speaker Quinn and the Mayor today and say:
“Hello, my name is _________. I am calling to ask you to stop the Mayor’s proposed cut of $491,000 in the fiscal year 2010 budget to HIV nutrition services. Thousands of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS rely on food and nutrition services provided through agencies such as the Momentum Project. Please don’t let this cut happen!”
If you have ever received food and nutrition services through an AIDS organization, tell them about your experience and how critical this program was to keep you fed.
Find out who your City Council member is and how to reach them.
Contact Speaker Quinn’s office at (212) 788-6897.
Call the Mayor at 311.
Matt Lesieur is the director of public policy for Village Care. He can be reached at matthewl@vcny.org
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Share
Donate Today
Join our healing community by becoming a member today
