Layoffs at Met Council to mean longer waits for help

By Mayer Fertig

Issue of June 25, 2010/ 15 Tammuz, 5770

More than a dozen people who used to be paid to help others may be in need of help themselves. 16 employees of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty were laid off last week - a direct result of cuts in government spending. The remaining employees accepted the elimination of their employer’s 2010 contribution to their retirement annuities, which saved more than $300,000 and seven more jobs from the budget ax.

“Employees agreed that this was something they were willing to forego for the year to save jobs,” said Executive Director William Rapfogel.

In addition, Rapfogel and about 30 other top earners at the organization voluntarily accepted pay cuts ranging from three to ten percent. Rapfogel’s own compensation was reduced by ten percent.

The Met Council helps families and seniors in crisis or with special needs. Its range of programs from food pantries to job training are designed to assist people in becoming independent.

The nearly three month delay in passing a New York State budget means there may be more bad news ahead. Rapfogel said a second round of layoffs might be unavoidable, though furloughs are also being discussed. In all, officials at not-for-profit associations fear 10,000 to 15,000 social services jobs could be lost this year.

“This is just the people who help other people,” Rapfogel said.

Met Council employs about 240 people in its offices and some 2500 home health care aides to care for more than 3000 elderly people who require assistance with the activities of daily life.

“We’re really trying not to cut core services,” Rapfogel said. “We’ve reduced staff even in non-social worker/case worker areas. We’ve tried to not only lay off people who provide services to clients.”

For callers to Met Council, the layoffs could mean longer wait times for assistance.

“It clearly means that there are going to be longer times for people to get help,” Rapfogel said. “If there are less social workers or case workers and they’re helping a client, [callers] are more likely to go to voicemail.”

Government funds account for 92 percent of Met Council’s funding. The rest comes from foundations, the United Jewish Appeal and members of Met Council’s board of directors.

“The government is the whole hit. We’ve actually redoubled our efforts in terms of finding private dollars,” he said. “We’ve increased by 10 or 15 percent the number of dollars we bring in through private donations.” The increase helped Met Council nearly double the amount of food it distributed for Pesach.

Solicitations “just can’t make up for government funding,” Rapfogel warned, but the organization is trying. “We’re out there begging for money every day,” he said.