Leaders of various nonprofits across Connecticut say chronic staffing issues within their organizations would be made worse if the state does not step in with an additional $19 million to make up for a lack of federal funding.
Fernando Muñiz is CEO of the nonprofit Community Solutions. It provides reentry services for people being released from prison. Muñiz said the lack of funding makes it difficult to offer employees a competitive salary.
“The things that we hear from our staff is that if they can make the same amount of money working for a big box retailer or, in food services or other kinds of things, for less stress than the work that we're asking them to do, many of them are choosing to do that,” Muñiz said.
Muñiz is one of several nonprofit leaders who spoke at the state Capitol in Hartford Tuesday.
His concerns are echoed across Connecticut’s nonprofit sector. This comes after Gov. Ned Lamont already proposed setting aside $157 million during his budget proposal earlier this month.
Muñiz said those challenges are the norm.
“In our survey of nonprofits, more than 80% of respondents say that they're actually experiencing these kinds of staffing challenges,” he said.
As a result, nonprofits say they’ve had to either reduce program availability or close them all together because of ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining staff.
Dan Osborne, CEO of Gilead Community Services, said his company has been forced to close down a treatment program for women who struggled with substance abuse. Osborne said that can be attributed to staffers leaving for more lucrative work.
“When we're competing with the state and other organizations that can pay much more than we can, we end up again with some of the most compassionate, amazing people who are doing the work because they love the people that we serve and they love the work that they're doing,” Osborne said. “But it's not sustainable.”
Lamont said he would set aside over $150 million in his budget proposal for underfunded nonprofits. But, advocates say that won’t make up for the lack of funding they will receive once the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) ends in 2026.
They are now asking the governor for an additional $19 million on top of the funding he hopes to secure, to help make up for the loss.
State Sen. Cathy Osten, a Democrat, said many nonprofit heads have forgone pay increases.
“We see people who are at the top of these organizations taking pay cuts, not taking any increases in pay, looking at things comprehensively, saying that we need to take care of our people.”
