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Social Services

EMPLOYMENT PROJECT The challenge of staffing the frontlines of New York City: an analysis by Project Renewal and its Social Services Business Advisory Committee

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH FINDINGS

REFLECTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSION

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

Executive Summary j NEW YORK CITY IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT on the vast network

of social services agencies that assist unhoused and housing unstable individuals. With city homelessness reaching record heights, these organizations are important promoters of community safety and well-being. They also employ tens of thousands of individuals, comprising a major job sector responsible for the livelihoods of many. It is more important than ever that these agencies are well-resourced in order to effectively serve a growing population of individuals in need, as well as to be strong employers. Despite their critical importance to New Yorkers’ welfare, social services agencies broadly are facing a staffing crisis, especially among direct service roles, which undermines their operational capacity. Challenging work environments, limited professional support, and low pay—influenced by funding- and contract-related constraints—create an environment plagued by high staff turnover, high job vacancy rates, and weak staffing pipelines. Such staffing obstacles directly impede agencies’ effectiveness and ability to provide high-quality services.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Renewal, Inc. is a large New York City social services agency known for pioneering a unique workforce development program in response to these mounting staffing needs. Given this expertise, Project Renewal convened eight peer organizations in 2021 to further tackle the social services sector’s staffing issues exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. This collaborative became known as the Social Services Business Advisory Committee (BAC), which in late 2023 decided to undertake a formal research initiative to better understand and address employee turnover and poor retention in the social services space.

Challenging work environments, limited professional support, and low pay — influenced by funding- and contract-related constraints—create an environment plagued by high staff turnover, high job vacancy rates, and weak staffing pipelines. The Social Services Employment Project (SSEP) aimed to examine social services organizational policies and practices related to recruitment, onboarding, professional development, wages, benefits, promotions, and career growth, as well as the funding contracts and other external factors that influence them. The project found that key drivers of the sector’s workforce issues include ineffective communication practices, a default to credential-based hiring, and pay-related obstacles, all of which are significantly shaped by funder and contract limitations. The analysis resulted in the following recommendations, suggesting steps that agencies can take independently to more immediately improve their staffing issues, as well as those that will require collective action to overcome institutionalized obstacles.

Agency-Specific Recommendations upport social services staff, especially direct service employees, with clear and S consistent communication around staffing-related policies Support social services managers with role-specific training, mentorship, and feedback Adopt competency-based job descriptions and hiring practices Codify and broadly share practices around promotion and career pathways

Sector-Wide Recommendations Advocate for contracts that better reflect realistic pay scales Exert pressure on the City to prioritize timely issuance of City contracts and on-time payments from City agencies Demonstrate the need and advocate for flexibility on staff credential and educational requirements

Research suggests that social services agencies can effect meaningful change by updating internal practices — even outside of wage increases—as well as by advocating together for changes to well-meaning yet detrimental policies currently mandated by public contract funders.

Introduction y

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

agencies (also referred to as human services agencies) that work with unhoused and housing unstable populations provide an extensive and often complicated matrix of programs designed to support clients in need of food, housing and shelter, medical and behavioral healthcare, job training and placement assistance, benefits access, and other emergency services.

INTRODUCTION

NEW YORK CITY’S VAST NETWORK of nonprofit social services

A July 2024 report from the Coalition for the Homeless estimated that 350,000 New Yorkers lack permanent housing, with “132,000 in shelters, thousands sleeping unsheltered in public spaces, and well over 200,000 sleeping doubled-up or tripled-up in the homes of others.” 1 New York City spent more than $3.1 billion on homeless services in Fiscal Year 2022, more than double the amount spent in Fiscal Year 2014.2

New York City spent more than $3.1 billion on homeless services in Fiscal Year 2022, more than double the amount spent in Fiscal Year 2014.2 Social services agencies have a positive effect on community stability and safety by assisting people experiencing homelessness, managing serious mental illness and substance use disorders, transitioning out of the justice system, and/or seeking employment, among other challenging circumstances. Their work reduces street and sheltered homelessness, overdoses, mental health crises, emergency room visits, and arrests and recidivism across hundreds of thousands of individuals annually, thereby strongly influencing the city’s welfare and economy. Tens of thousands of employees are necessary for New York’s social services sector to operate. As such, the sector is a major city employer offering a broad spectrum of job opportunities, especially for direct service positions. Unfortunately, social services agencies are experiencing pervasive hiring and employee retention challenges, and operations are increasingly threatened by climbing employee turnover and vacancy rates alongside insufficient staffing pipelines. A 2024 report from the Center for an Urban Future estimated average vacancy rates of 15-20% among New York City human services nonprofits. When analyzing essential direct service positions alone (e.g., shelter residential aides, social workers), the vacancy rate frequently topped 40%. More than half of organizations surveyed reported consistent turnover rates above 35%.3 Difficult working environments, lack of available professional support, and low pay are contributing factors negatively impacting staff, especially those in direct service roles. The day-to-day reality of working with individuals in acute need of assistance—including those grappling with their mental health, substance use, and various forms of trauma—can take a toll on social services employees, contributing to burnout. Many of these programs operate around the clock, requiring non-traditional shift hours where workers frequently have less access to management and other organizational resources. Additionally, many of the staff working in direct service roles may have similar backgrounds to the clients that they serve, struggling with housing and food insecurity, behavioral health disorders, and more; these backgrounds can positively contribute

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

to empathetic caregiving, but also require the right supports and coping mechanisms to succeed in the profession. Lack of appropriate staffing levels further strains existing employees and creates a negative feedback loop. Notably, the pay offered by the social services sector is often insufficient to encourage longterm employee satisfaction, lagging that of the private and government sectors for similar roles, aggravating the efforts of nonprofits to create good work environments and to retain their employees. In New York State, average wages paid to nonprofit employees are nearly 24% and 14% lower than private and public sector wages, respectively.4 Most direct service staff do not earn a living wage, weakening the motivation for performing such demanding work. Finally, delayed contracts and payments from City agencies exacerbate the efforts of social services organization leaders to create a positive and stable work environment. In Fiscal Year 2024, nearly nine out of 10 human services and nonprofit contracts with City agencies were registered late, resulting in or contributing to late payments for services rendered. As noted in a recent New York City Comptroller’s Office report, “These delays often place enormous financial strains on businesses and nonprofits that are doing work that we all rely on. Many organizations are forced to borrow to cover cash flow and triage their own expenses, making it extremely difficult to pay their workers, sustain operations, and grow their footprint.”5 Delayed contracts can also slow organizations in hiring needed staff, and then lead to rushed hiring when registration finally proceeds, ultimately increasing the workload of current staff and impacting the quality of services provided. To help address these urgent staffing needs, social services provider Project Renewal, Inc. established a sector-based training program in 2015 specifically designed to fill direct service roles at its own agency and others like it. This program, still in operation at the time of this report, has prepared and connected hundreds of its graduates to work at social services agencies across the city. Nevertheless, staffing challenges grew even more acute alongside the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2021 Project Renewal convened senior leadership from other major social services agencies to share insight into and support each other through these shared difficulties. These agencies eventually aligned as the Social Services Business Advisory Committee (BAC) to more formally explore the root causes of their staffing deficiencies, and to collaborate on how to address them (see Figure 1 for more information on the BAC). Early BAC meetings and workgroups laid the foundation for the Social Services Employment Project (SSEP), a research initiative, launched in 2023, aimed at examining social services organizational policies and practices related to recruitment, onboarding, professional development, wages, benefits, promotions, and career growth, as well as the funding contracts and other external factors that influence them. This report summarizes the SSEP research conducted and puts forth a set of recommendations derived from the initiative’s key findings. Recommendations include actions for individual agencies, as well as ones best addressed collectively through advocacy, additional research, and the engagement of policymakers and government agency administrators. While the findings and recommendations stem largely from BAC members, much of the analysis and resulting recommendations apply to the broader nonprofit social services sector; as such, the individual and collective actions proposed can be mobilized more widely across the city.

The Social Services Business Advisory Committee (BAC) launched in 2021 as an effort to collectively address staffing challenges common to social services agencies. At the time of this report, the BAC is composed of eight major social services agencies that cumulatively serve over 100,000 clients annually and employ more than 7,000 staff, providing services to unhoused and housing unstable individuals, among other programming. Executive and senior leadership from BAC agencies engage in quarterly meetings to explore key challenges related to staff recruitment, development, retention, and career growth via discussion, peer learning presentations, and subcommittee work. Objectives of the group include assessing talent management processes, improving staff development opportunities,

INTRODUCTION

FIGURE 1: THE SOCIAL SERVICES BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

and identifying labor force skills gaps, with a two-pronged goal of increasing access to good jobs for low-income individuals while simultaneously reducing job vacancies and turnover in the industry. BAC member agencies are committed to developing best practices in the sector and utilizing the expertise of industry leaders to tackle identified challenges together. Members of the BAC include: • Breaking Ground • Institute for Community Living • Jericho Project • Lantern Community Services • Project Renewal, Inc. • The Doe Fund • Volunteers of America— Greater New York • Westside Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing

Social Services Employment Project Context The SSEP takes place in the context of multiple efforts in New York City to better understand the staffing issues impacting the nonprofit sector and propose practical steps to address them. Think tank, intermediary, and advocacy organizations have contributed valuable research on and insights into the landscape of nonprofit staffing throughout the past decade. This body of work demonstrates multiple issues related to financing, supporting, and sustaining nonprofit programs that serve as critical lifelines to hundreds of thousands of the city’s residents. A sample of key findings includes: • The New School Center for New York City Affairs has produced multiple reports on New York City’s social services field, including the March 2022 publication, The Case for Ending Poverty Wages for New York City’s Human Service Workers. According to this analysis, the sector has the fifth-lowest average wages in the city, paying wages significantly less than the public and private sectors for similar job positions.6 • The Center for an Urban Future’s June 2024 report, Solving the Staffing Crisis Facing NYC’s Human Service Organizations, documents vacancy rates for direct service positions exceeding 15% among the 27 agencies interviewed. Of the 19 agencies with turnover data, more than half reported consistent turnover rates above 35%. Staff frequently cited low wages as a primary reason for leaving direct service positions.7

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

• Workforce Professionals Training Institute launched the Voices from the Frontline series of topical briefs and research reports in 2020, designed to understand, among other objectives, who comprises the workforce development direct service workforce and what motivates their decision to stay in or leave those positions. Seventy percent of survey respondents indicated they would like to “advance within my current organization into a position with greater responsibility and more pay”; however, less than half of all respondents indicated that “the requirements for advancement within my organization is clear.”8

Research conducted in support of the [JustPay advocacy] campaign estimated that approximately two-thirds of full-time human services employees in 2019 earned wages near the city’s poverty line and documented that nearly one-quarter of human services workers received income-based SNAP food benefits in 2021.10 The City of New York is attuned to these issues, even if solutions have been slow to materialize. In 2016, the City created the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee to “give the health and human service nonprofit community a direct voice for the first time in influencing the City of New York’s business practices, policies, and technology solutions.”9 Building upon the Committee’s recommendations, the Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services was launched in 2023 to strengthen and support the city’s nonprofit sector. In March 2024, Mayor Adams announced a $741 million, three-year investment in cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for human services workers whose wages are paid through City-funded contracts, impacting an estimated 80,000 individuals. This long overdue increase in wages occurred in part in response to the JustPay advocacy campaign, spearheaded by the Human Services Council (a membership organization for human services agencies in New York). Research conducted in support of the campaign estimated that approximately two-thirds of full-time human services employees in 2019 earned wages near the city’s poverty line and documented that nearly one-quarter of human services workers received income-based SNAP food benefits in 2021.10 While a COLA is an important investment by the city of New York, rollout of the payments have stalled as of the time of this publication, essentially leaving provider agencies with an unfunded mandate.

METHODOLOGY

Methodology n THE SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT uses a mixed

methods approach by incorporating multiple data sources to arrive at key findings and recommendations. Scope The SSEP focuses on direct service roles within New York City agencies that provide services and programming for unhoused and housing unstable individuals and families. In this context, direct service roles are defined as those that work most frequently and personally with clients; they include entry-level positions with minimal requirements for educational credentials or years of experience (e.g., security, food preparation, and facilities maintenance jobs), as well as roles requiring college degrees or advanced credentials and prior experience (e.g., case managers, social workers, and nurses). Nine of New York City’s largest social services agencies, including a majority of Social Services Business Advisory Committee (BAC) members, participated in this project.

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

BAC Meetings and Document Review The BAC meetings that took place over the two years preceding this research project accumulated substantial information relevant to the aims of the SSEP. The research team analyzed those meeting materials to identify stated challenges and opportunities. In the fall of 2023, research team members began participating in all BAC quarterly meetings to gather deeper insights and to keep the BAC apprised of this project’s progress.

Focus Groups and Interviews The research team conducted multiple focus groups with BAC members during the study period. Initially, these structured discussions were focused on identifying shared challenges; the focus then shifted to specific areas of inquiry, such as barriers to advancement experienced by direct service employees. Additionally, representatives from BAC member agencies participated in individual interviews throughout fall 2024. Finally, research team members conducted short interviews with nine direct service workers from four BAC member agencies to learn more about their specific career journeys and workplace experiences.

Social Services Agency Survey BAC member agencies completed a survey in fall 2024 that included questions on practices, processes, and experiences related to recruitment and hiring, new employee onboarding, training and professional development, career advancement and promotions, and wages and benefits. The research team also extended invitations to additional agencies not presently in the BAC. A total of nine completed surveys were submitted and form the basis of the quantitative analysis that follows.

Job Description Analysis Beginning in October 2024, the research team accessed current job descriptions across six common direct service role types from participating agencies’ career websites. Information including minimum educational requirements and years of prior experience, starting salary or wages, and provision of benefits were pulled from 70 descriptions and analyzed (see Figure 6).

Participating Agencies SSEP research and findings draw primarily on interviews with and a survey of nine agencies. Several of these agencies represent some of the largest nonprofit organizations in New York City, with annual budgets ranging from $19 million to nearly $200 million. Cumulatively, BAC agencies serve more than 100,000 clients annually and employ over 7,000 staff. Most of the participating agencies provide services citywide; two have expanded their reach to include communities in neighboring counties and states as well.

METHODOLOGY

All participating agencies operate homeless shelters and/or supportive and transitional housing programs. Other services include efforts to prevent individuals from becoming homeless, intensive case management, workforce preparation and training, programming to address domestic violence and substance use, medical health services, and mental health offerings. Some agencies work with specific unhoused or housing unstable populations, including veterans, justice-involved individuals, families, older adults, people living with HIV/AIDS, individuals with disabilities, and people with behavioral health needs. The organizations represented by this research derive their funding from a variety of sources, including government contracts, philanthropic and corporate grants, social enterprise ventures, fundraising events, third-party health insurance revenue, and revenue from properties owned and/or operated by the agency. Government contracts, in particular, frequently shape staffing patterns and levels due to their size and scope. Below lists the local, state, and federal agencies that commonly contract with New York City social services agencies to operate their programs.

Common Social Services Contracting Agencies NEW YORK CITY AGENCIES

NEW YORK STATE AGENCIES

FEDERAL AGENCIES

Department of Homeless Services

Department of Health

Department of Health and Human Services

Human Resources Administration

Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

New York State Education Department

New York City Housing Authority

Office of Addiction Services and Supports

Department of Veterans Affairs

Department for the Aging

Office of Mental Health

Housing and Preservation Department

Homes and Community Renewal

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Department of Veterans Services

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

Department of Housing and Urban Development Department of Justice

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

ResearchvFindings RECRUITMENT AND HIRING P.13 ONBOARDING, TRAINING, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT P.15 WAGES AND BENEFITS P.18 CAREER ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTIONS P.22

RESEARCH FINDINGS

FINDINGS ARE ORGANIZED around key milestones or phases

in the employment cycle, beginning with candidate recruitment and hiring, and continuing through to employee retention and promotion. Recruitment and Hiring Who participates in recruitment and hiring activities, and how is it done? Across participating agencies, human resources (HR) and department directors play a prominent role in creating job descriptions and/or granting approval for descriptions and interviewing direct service job candidates. Other staff involvement varies by agency. Direct supervisors and managers at fewer than half of the agencies surveyed help to craft job descriptions, but they participate in candidate interviews at nearly all agencies (see Figure 2). LinkedIn and career search engines like Indeed are used by all agencies to advertise open positions, along with local college career services (78%) and job boards (78%). Agencies participate in and host job fairs to recruit candidates, and nearly all (89%) contract with referral or recruitment agencies to identify candidates. All agencies use an online application portal to accept applications, though 22% allow submissions via email or by paper as one way of accommodating those who might struggle with completing an online application.

FIGURE 2: STAFF ROLES INVOLVED IN CREATING DIRECT SERVICE JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES

89%

78% 78%

Department Directors

89% 44%

Direct Supervisors/ Managers

89% 44%

C-Suite/Executive Leadership

11% 0%

20% Create Job Descriptions

40%

60%

80%

100%

Interview Candidates

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

What are the challenges related to recruitment and hiring? Participating agencies cited internal, process-related inefficiencies, along with talent pool mismatches, when reflecting on recruitment and hiring challenges. As noted in Figure 2, direct supervisors and managers largely participate in interviewing candidates. However, multiple agencies indicated that it is not uncommon for hiring managers to lack clarity or training in the skills necessary to facilitate a consistent recruitment and interview process. One HR professional said, “We neglect to think about how prepared the manager is to hire new people or being open to the recruitment process. There is not really a fair process implemented; people just recruit when they want and are very subjective.” Additionally, the time from posting a position to making a hire can be long, resulting in candidates withdrawing from the process. Another HR professional lamented, “We make conditional offers during reference and background checks, but by the time we make the official offers we find that candidates are getting counteroffers or taking a position elsewhere. Candidates are waiting too long for responses at all steps in the hiring process.” In addition, some positions have funder- or industry-dictated requirements around candidate credentials, resulting in smaller recruitment pools. Finding candidates for security positions with the required certifications, for example, has proven challenging for one participating agency given that promising candidates cannot earn the certification on the job. The challenge becomes even more acute when agencies are searching for social workers or other direct service professionals who must possess specialized training in areas like mental health or working with unhoused populations. One direct service staff member reflected on his recent job search in which it was difficult to find agencies willing to hire unlicensed social workers, despite his more than 25 years of experience. He noted, “A license doesn’t speak to the core set of skills that someone has.” Furthermore, nearly half of the surveyed agencies indicated that in the past year they sometimes had to hire candidates out of necessity, indicating that some hires might be rushed and not be the best match for a given position. Notably, most participating agency contacts said that recruiting for high-volume entry-level direct service positions—such as residential aides, front desk staff, and custodians—is typically not a selective process. One senior leader said, “The threshold for hiring is pretty low because we need so many people to fill these roles. It’s rare that we’re deliberating over who to select; if we have multiple candidates we’re filling multiple roles.” These roles, however, experience a relatively high level of turnover at most agencies, creating a continual cycle of filling and re-filling the positions.

How are agencies trying to address recruitment and hiring challenges? Participating agencies are actively navigating recruitment and hiring challenges as they adjust to shifts in the labor market and funding environment, as well as in response to significant external events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple agencies are currently or have recently made efforts to review and revise job descriptions to better reflect the skill needs and duties performed in various direct service positions. One agency leader said, “We are trying to re-look at, as a position becomes available, how we describe the jobs and revise as necessary, making descriptions more in line with what the position entails and making sure we’re not overinflating the credentials.” Of note, just over half (56%) of participating agencies make use of competencybased hiring practices for certain direct service positions. As one leader reflected, “Making a change to say, ‘BA preferred with some experience’ was a big change in our culture. We [realized we] were eliminating people who maybe didn’t go to college but have lots of experience.”

RESEARCH FINDINGS

“ Making a change to say, ‘BA preferred with some experience’ was a big change in our culture. We [realized we] were eliminating people who maybe didn’t go to college but have lots of experience.” —BAC Member Leader As noted above, outdated or less than efficient internal processes contribute to some of the recruitment and hiring challenges experienced by participating agencies. To address these, nearly half of the surveyed agencies have established a standardized or structured interview protocol and have trained staff on how to use it. Nevertheless, only one-quarter of the agencies that have instituted this practice feel that staff consistently make use of the protocols, illustrating the difficulty of embedding new practices into standard operating procedures. Participating organizations mentioned other efforts to formalize or standardize recruitment practices as a way of reducing subjectivity and improving fairness in the hiring process. This includes providing trainings and supports for managers to improve their skills related to interviewing and supervising new employees. Agencies are also making use of dashboards and metrics to address inefficiencies in the hiring process. One HR leader reflected, “We’ve come up with an HR dashboard with key performance indicators for main functions, such as the percentage of applications reviewed within 30 days of submission. What’s helped us help the hiring managers is when you can click on a button to see where the challenges are …we’re finding ways of building trust and accountability and presenting this as a tool for data-driven decision making.” Finally, most participating agencies emphasized the importance they place on promoting from within, a strategy that can fill needed roles while simultaneously encouraging long-term employee retention. In a BAC member focus group, multiple participants indicated that internal promotions tend to be successful due to the employee’s familiarity with the skills needed for a job. One agency HR leader shared, “We promoted 200 plus internally last year; we’re really focused on this. It’s a real number and we’re proud of it.” Another BAC member highlighted the variety of ways in which they promote internal openings, including regular email blasts, during direct supervision, and through monthly virtual meetings. SSEP staff interviews, however, reinforced the importance of clear, transparent, and consistent communication regarding promotions; otherwise, they can appear to be based on a manager’s personal preferences rather than merit or as an acknowledgment of an employee’s strong performance. A related strategy involves providing incentives to employees who refer successful external candidates. These strategies contribute to building and communicating a positive agency culture.

Onboarding, Training, and Professional Development Who facilitates new employee onboarding, training, and professional development, and how is it done? Agencies invest significant time and resources into supporting employees at all levels to be successful in their roles. Initial onboarding activities can set the tone for new employees and provide an opportunity for staff to integrate into the culture and mission of the organization. HR is responsible for and involved in onboarding at all surveyed agencies. Direct supervisors and managers (56%) and IT staff (44%) also play a role in onboarding at multiple organizations. A third of the agencies involve peers or staff currently serving in roles similar to those held by new employees. Agencies’ official onboarding duration varies greatly, with some concluding the

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

onboarding process after day one (11%) and others conducting onboarding for an employee’s first three months (44%; see Figure 3). Beyond initial onboarding activities, all agencies provide some form of role-specific training to employees. For two-thirds of the agencies, role-specific skills are learned on the job in combination with other opportunities to participate in trainings. One-third of participating agencies send staff to trainings offered by external providers, including those provided by the Supportive Housing Network of New York and by the City University of New York (CUNY). Nearly all agencies (89%) report that some of the trainings provided to staff are required by a funder or regulatory body. Most agencies (78%) seek input from supervisors and managers to determine which types of trainings to provide staff. All agencies report providing some trainings to direct service staff that focus on professional development or lifelong skills, such as conflict resolution or leadership skills. Additionally, staff across all agencies are able to request training or professional development opportunities beyond those that are mandatory. A few agencies referenced the use of in-house training platforms like Relias, which offers access to a broad array of trainings and continuing education offerings for healthcare and social services employees. One-third of the agencies operate a formal mentorship program that is open to staff at all levels.

What are the challenges related to providing onboarding, training, and professional development? Resource allocation, timing, and assessing the value of training are among the professional development challenges cited by participating organizations. Government funding sources frequently come with staff training requirements, but restrictions on the use of funding and tight budgets can make prioritizing resources for training difficult. This requires organizations to incur additional costs not typically built into the budget. For example, given the 24/7 nature of the work performed by housing agencies, they must ensure that those who work overnight shifts receive training commensurate with daytime employees and that their duties are covered while doing so. Moreover, agency representatives indicated that they struggle to measure the efficacy of onboarding and training activities. Just over half of the agencies surveyed seek feedback from

FIGURE 3: INITIAL ONBOARDING DURATION

11%

44%

First day of employment

First week of employment

First 90 days of employment

RESEARCH FINDINGS

staff on the onboarding process. Multiple staff members interviewed indicated that trainings often feel unproductive or unnecessary, focusing, for example, on skills they already possess rather than providing opportunities for career growth or new skill development. Despite the value placed on various forms of employee training, agencies report conflicting views on how much training and professional development to provide staff, especially in roles with high turnover. One agency leader shared, “Sometimes you have to accept that you’re going to make the investment, but someone might just leave regardless. But it’s a betterment for the whole ecosystem …we’re accepting that we might be like an internship training ground and others will reap the benefit of our training.”

Despite the value placed on various forms of employee training, agencies report conflicting views on how much training and professional development to provide staff, especially in roles with high turnover. How are agencies trying to address onboarding, training, and professional development challenges? A relatively recent development at multiple participating agencies involves the establishment of C-suite- or director-level training and learning roles. Relevant titles include Director of Internal Training and Professional Development, and Director of Staff Learning and Professional Development. Leaders in these roles are tasked with developing or making available trainings on communication, professionalism, and supervisory skills, as well as establishing processes for ensuring staff have access to more specific trainings that they need to perform their roles. Agencies also recognize the importance of onboarding in communicating the agency’s culture and making new employees feel empowered in their roles. One organization recently began integrating C-suite staff into the first day of onboarding, including lunch and team-building exercises, to help communicate the agency’s culture and mission from day one. A few agencies provide incentives to staff working non-traditional hours to attend trainings outside of their regular shifts, or are taking steps to ensure that any onboarding activities taking place during evening and overnight shifts match the quality of those provided during the day. While measuring the efficacy of training was cited as a challenge, some of the participating agencies have focused efforts on collecting and making better use of relevant data. One agency recently overhauled its employee engagement survey, including new questions that more pointedly assessed the use and impact of both formal and informal professional development opportunities. For example, by analyzing data on employees who actively participate in check-in meetings with their supervisors during the initial probationary period, compared to those who do not, they discovered that employee retention at six months is higher among the former group. Finally, agencies are exploring different modalities of training to account for varied learning styles, schedules, and priorities. This includes identifying or developing asynchronous training modules and making efforts to ensure that trainings count toward continuing education units for roles that require them to maintain licensure.

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

Wages and Benefits How are wages and benefits determined for direct service staff? Executive leadership (78%) and HR (67%) are the most common roles involved in determining wage and benefit levels for staff. Agencies share information on employee benefits during onboarding and benefit orientation sessions, as well as periodically throughout the year via email updates. Factors shaping compensation levels are largely impacted by funding sources and the agency’s overall budget, as seen in Figure 4. Participating agencies by and large offer employees a set of benefits that include medical, dental, and vision insurance; paid time off; wellness benefits; and tuition reimbursement, among others. At most agencies (78%), an employee must work a minimum number of hours per week to qualify for benefits, and just over half (56%) set a probationary period before an employee can access benefits; one agency has no restrictions on receiving benefits. Not all employees, however, participate in benefit offerings. At 56% of the surveyed agencies, fewer than half of their direct service employees make use of the employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision

FIGURE 4: FACTORS SHAPING COMPENSATION LEVELS

78%

67%

56%

Guidance provided by funding sources

Agency budget

Staff’s experience and skill levels

45%

Scope of job responsibilities

Research on market rates

RESEARCH FINDINGS

plans offered. Wellness programs—which might include Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), discounted or free fitness programs, and incentives to pursue healthy behaviors—are used by less than one-quarter of direct service employees at nearly all agencies that offer them. While the reasons for low uptake rates were not explored in the SSEP, anecdotal explanations include the relatively high cost of insurance premiums; the receipt of certain benefits through a family member or public means-tested program instead; and lack of support and communication around the value of benefits, as well as how to access them.

What are the challenges related to wages and benefits? By far, paying competitive salaries surfaced as the top challenge among participating agencies. As one agency leader shared, “Public funders haven’t given us a lot of leeway to be competitive on salary. The public sector can pay 30% more than we can pay our employees. We have our eyes open on this.” As indicated above, funding sources and the agencies administering them exercise a significant degree of influence on pay levels for specific positions. The SSEP analyzed 70 job descriptions issued by BAC agencies in late 2024, finding striking differences in wages paid for similar roles not only across participating organizations, but also within single agencies. As one agency noted, “Salaries are very much based on funding sources. A Department of Homeless Services case manager makes $40,000 per year, but the same role funded under the Human Resource Administration’s HIV/AIDS Services makes $60,000. This makes it difficult to justify to candidates the salary differential when the same requirements are needed.” An analysis of SSEP wage data mirrored that of James Parrot’s larger-scale 2025 study, Moving Beyond COLAs to Salary Parity For New York City’s Nonprofit Human Services Workers. Parrot found that the wages offered by human services nonprofits are usually determined by public funding contracts, and that those contracts pay significantly less for the same job titles as compared to those working for the government or private hospitals (see Figure 5).11 This funding landscape is challenging; as one agency HR professional said, “We contracted with Salary.com to help level set our wage ranges and bands, but with 30-something funding streams, it’s tough to right size.” Despite best efforts to improve wages or set salary bands, it is extremely difficult without flexible, general operating support from atypically large philanthropic or endowment funding. Developing agency-wide wage standards can feel futile without the realistic mechanisms for funding them. Compensating and retaining social workers in particular is a vexing issue for participating agencies. One agency executive lamented, “Social workers get their experience and hours in with you, then move on to the Department of Education or a hospital, where salaries are more competitive.” While not the sole driver of employee turnover, more than half of the participating agencies (56%) shared that “low salary/wages” is a top factor cited by direct service employees as the reason for leaving their position. For more information on the SSEP’s direct service pay and job posting evaluation, see Figure 6.

How are agencies trying to address wages and benefits challenges? Participating agencies shared an array of strategies for increasing compensation through direct and indirect means. Most of the agencies indicated that they try to award raises across the board when possible. This strategy has taken on particular importance of late, given the aforementioned City’s three-year, $741 million investment in cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for human services workers operating through City contracts. While this COLA does not cover all employees at most agencies— as not all of their funding comes from City contracts—some are attempting to award the increase to everyone. As one agency executive shared, “We treat it that all the staff are going to be covered by a COLA even if they are on a contract that is not impacted

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

FIGURE 5: PAY FOR CORE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS TRAILS GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS FOR BOTH PROFESSIONAL AND NON-PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS

$47,375 Counselors

$75,391 $58,146 $54,550

Social Workers

$70,687 $80,284 $48,797

Social Service Assistants

$59,003 $40,595 $46,395

All Office & Admin Support

$57,993 $50,097 $33,162

Janitors, Security, Cooks, & Food Prep

$45,604 $49,033 $0

$20,000

Core Human Services

$40,000

Gov’t

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

Private Hospitals

Parrot, James. (2025, January). Moving Beyond COLAs to Salary Parity for New York City’s Nonprofit Human Services Workers.

by it.” This can be complicated, however; agencies must tap reserve funds or fundraise specifically to pay for COLAs not covered by the legislated increases, and as alluded to previously, the timeliness of City-funded COLAs is historically inconsistent. Other strategies cited included paying differentials for staff with niche skills (e.g., bilingual employees) or those working non-traditional hours, as well as establishing wage floors agencywide. One participating agency has made a commitment to pay at least $40,000 per year for all roles, and another agency noted recent increases to their minimum hourly rate paid to employees. Nevertheless, it is again worth noting the complexity of these decisions at an individual agency level (e.g., the decision to draw on an endowment to pay for this kind of commitment), and how inaccessible these strategies are for some agencies. Increased funding from public contracts is often the only avenue that agencies have to implement the pay equity strategies and activities they desire.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

FIGURE 6: WAGE ANALYSIS

New York City’s Salary Transparency Law took effect in November 2022, requiring postings for jobs in New York City to include a position’s starting wage or pay range. New York State followed suit in 2023, enacting a similar pay transparency law. This legislation provides jobseekers with critical information upfront on potential earnings. It also serves as a valuable source of data for assessing pay rates associated with specific roles or in particular settings. In consultation with participating SSEP agencies, the research team identified six direct service role families commonly found in agencies that serve housing unstable individuals: case managers; healthcare professionals and paraprofessionals; maintenance; residential aides; security; and social workers. Using these role families, the team reviewed relevant job postings listed between late October and early December 2024 by participating BAC agencies. Each posting’s educational and experience requirements, wages, hours, and benefits were compiled into a dataset.

Positions in the maintenance, residential aide, and security role families typically require a high school diploma or equivalent and offer wages averaging $46,480 per year. Healthcare and social work roles, by contrast, require bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Healthcare roles, including registered nurses and nursing coordinators, pay $93,475 per year on average, and social work roles average $66,249. Nearly two-thirds of the case manager roles require at least a bachelor’s degree and starting wages average $49,995. With the exception of the healthcare and social work roles, most direct service jobs pay below the median salary of $56,700 in New York City.* To examine the assertion made by several agency representatives that social workers, in particular, are difficult to retain long-term, the research team identified multiple job postings for social workers in government and healthcare settings that required similar levels of education and experience to those posted by participating SSEP agencies. Average earnings in these settings were $88,516 — approximately 25% higher than in a nonprofit setting.

* The 2025 Area Median income in New York City—as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development— for an individual is $56,700.

Finally, a strategy commonly used by nonprofit organizations to enhance compensation packages without increasing pay involves offering generous personal time off benefits. One agency recently almost doubled the number of vacation days for new direct service staff from 10 to 19, and another agency noted that all staff receive four and a half weeks of vacation from the start. Most participating agencies also highlighted the educational and professional development benefits made available to employees. One organization, for example, offers a tuition reimbursement program that is especially flexible — it is not specific to semesters and can be used yearround. Staff interviews revealed that the process for using these generous educational benefits is not always clear cut, however, and one employee noted, “The agency has a lot of connections with schools and continuing education resources, but no one [at the agency] helped me.”

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Career Advancement and Promotions How do agencies approach career advancement and promotions? Most participating agencies (78%) expect supervisors or managers to discuss and establish career goals with the direct service employees they oversee. Of those agencies, more than half (57%) provide supervisors with training, guidance, and/or resources on how to discuss career goals with those they manage. One-third of the agencies have developed internal career pathways for direct service roles. These agencies review and identify common promotion and advancement routes into given positions to inform those pathways. Two of the three agencies with formal career pathways also sought feedback from supervisors or managers to inform their development. All agencies developing career pathways included information on the interpersonal or soft skills required/desired, while two agencies also included the ideal number of years of experience and any technical skills required. Additionally, one of the three agencies added in the ideal or minimum educational requirements. Information on career pathways is most commonly shared during performance reviews (100%), but also during onboarding (67%) and in supervisory meetings (67%; see Figure 7). All agencies conduct performance reviews, though the frequency with which reviews are performed varies. Two-thirds (67%) conduct reviews annually, while 22% conduct them every other year; at the remaining agency, each department determines the frequency of review. Less than half of agencies use performance reviews to inform promotions or salary increases. This is largely because financial factors must be considered (e.g., an agency’s budget, the value of a contract, or salary parameters specified by a funding source), in addition to employee performance. Many of the participating agencies make efforts to promote from within. One HR professional stated, “We’re an agency that identifies talent and tries to move them around when we see talent. We have seen a lot of staff move up.” As part of SSEP research, agencies estimated the

FIGURE 7: COMMON ELEMENTS OF CAREER PATHWAY DESCRIPTIONS

100%

67%

33%

Interpersonal or soft skills required/desired

Ideal/minimum years of experience

Technical skills required/ desired

Ideal/minimum educational degree or credentials

RESEARCH FINDINGS

percentage of direct service employees receiving a promotion during the prior year: one-third of the agencies said more than 20% received a promotion and another one-third estimated between 11-20% received a promotion.

What are the challenges related to career advancement and promotion? As noted earlier, a particularly vexing challenge for agencies is recognizing that staff in some positions are prone to leave for higher wages after gaining experience. This is especially common among social workers, including those who pursue their Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) accreditation while employed at a nonprofit—once certified, they can earn significantly more working in a hospital or government setting. Consistent with other stages in the employment cycle, promotion practices tend to vary across departments and managers. This is attributed, in part, to inconsistent communication of career pathways from leadership to managers and other staff. One interviewee reflected, “The promotion process is not as clear as we’d like, especially for direct service workers…we know there are lots of people who could move into higher roles, but we haven’t found a good way to implement it.” Multiple direct service staff interviewed as a part of the SSEP echoed this sentiment. One case manager who has been with his agency for multiple years and occupied various roles said the majority of his promotions came about through individual encouragement from a manager, rather than through explicit discussions about career pathways or growth. While a positive outcome for this individual, it is reflective of the uneven sharing of information about promotion opportunities.

“ The promotion process is not as clear as we’d like, especially for direct service workers …we know there are lots of people who could move into higher roles, but we haven’t found a good way to implement it.” —BAC Member Leader Finally, promoted staff are not always set up for success in their new roles, a reality also attributed to a lack of codified and widely communicated processes. One participating agency lamented, “Staff have to be trained into the new role, and this isn’t being recognized. Leadership feel that if a staff member gets promoted into a new position, they should instantly be able to do that work. There’s no recognition of the time and energy it takes to train someone into their promoted position.”

How are agencies trying to address promotion and advancement challenges? Multiple participating agencies expressed interest in establishing clearly defined career pathways and promotion paths and broadly sharing those career paths with staff and prospective employees. They believe doing so would encourage retention and promotions, filling staffing gaps and rewarding strong employees. One strategy for moving forward with this objective involves developing tiers within certain roles. One agency, for example, recently established multiple tiers among social work roles (e.g., Social Worker I, Social Worker II) as a way of creating and communicating a clear career pathway. Some participating agencies are also investing in training and continuing education for select staff roles. This is particularly true for social work roles; multiple agencies pay for training and the cost of the LMSW licensing exam.

Reflection and Recommendations j

24 SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

collectively assess and address common, persistent challenges related to social services staffing, essential to providing effective and high-quality care to the New Yorkers who need it most. The group’s desire to critically assess current practices, jointly problem solve, and illuminate systemic factors contributing to these staffing difficulties paved the way for the SSEP and the research presented herein.

REFLECTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

THE BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS ESTABLISHED to

While this analysis further corroborates the significance of pay in attracting and retaining direct service employees, it importantly builds on existing literature by recognizing additional areas of focus — not related to wages — that have great potential to alleviate social services staffing challenges. Ineffective communication practices and a funder-driven culture that encourages a default to credential-based hiring— alongside pay- and funding-related obstacles—are key drivers of the sector’s workforce issues that require more dedicated attention. The SSEP uncovered numerous staffing-related communication breakdowns across all levels of participating agencies, often with insidious and compounding impact. While many social services organizations are well-versed in staffing best practices and have policies and resources in place aimed at supporting their employees (e.g., strong benefits packages, professional development funds, defined career pathways), these efforts are meaningless if staff are not aware or making use of them. Direct service staff are especially hindered by ineffective communication, frequently missing out on the promotion or training opportunities that might positively influence job satisfaction and retention. This is likely tied to the fact that many direct service employees come to their roles with the same lived experience as their clients: of being unhoused or at risk, food insecure, anxious or depressed, with limited educational or professional attainment, and more. These backgrounds can limit exposure to professional norms that are explicitly and implicitly taught as part of higher education or mentorship experiences; they can also affect memory and executive functioning. As described by the Lived Experience Network, “To be successful in their roles, people with lived experience need to be provided with enough information about the organisation and systems they’re working within, as well as what is expected of them. This includes the intent, purpose and limitations they’re working within. The challenge is to provide this in a way that’s easy to digest, and to offer regular opportunities to check-in with people’s understanding along the way.”12 Agencies using a one-size-fits-all communication strategy put their diverse workforce at a disadvantage. The SSEP also observed communication collapse at the managerial level, particularly among direct service staff receiving their first promotions. Multiple participating agencies cited the transition from entry-level to management roles as one that marked attrition, acknowledging that their managers struggle to perform well in the absence of consistent and transparent guidance. Research revealed that these first-time managers are generally unfamiliar with leadership strategy; fail to prioritize hiring activities or make use of tools intended to make the hiring process less subjective (e.g., interview protocols); and/or lack clarity on career progression opportunities, both for themselves and those they supervise.

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

Multiple participating agencies cited the transition from entry-level to management roles as one that marked attrition, acknowledging that their managers struggle to perform well in the absence of consistent and transparent guidance. To illustrate, research interviews revealed how the lack of codified and broadly communicated career pathways and promotion practices contribute to very different experiences on the part of direct service employees. One employee said she had a supportive supervisor who emphasizes the agency’s practice of promoting from within and engages in regular conversations about career advancement. A direct service employee from a different agency said he was unsure who to speak with about career growth, noting the poor relationship with his direct supervisor. In a similar vein, representatives from multiple participating agencies indicated that promotion practices are less systematic than they could be. One representative reflected, “There are no formally written processes for promotions or hirings. Managers pick and choose who they support, but there’s no written process out there to help advance all staff.” Among the one-third of surveyed agencies that have developed internal career pathways for direct service roles, only one has documented them in writing; however, this information is not shared formally outside of leadership. Even when trainings, protocols, and pathways exist to assist managers, most agencies fail to ensure that they are receiving and accessing this support. Ensuing confusion and frustration leads to attrition among supervisors, staff, and job candidates alike. Ineffective communication around staffing policies and procedures ultimately creates a negative organizational feedback loop that reinforces discouraging work environments and short-term employment. In addition to communication setbacks, the SSEP found that social services agencies are notably impeded by a fidelity to credential-based job requirements. Such requirements are usually the result of public funder mandates, which demand educational attainment or credentials that unnecessarily exclude qualified individuals. For example, one participating agency interviewed by the SSEP was struggling to hire for an activities director vacancy in part due to the funding contract’s college education stipulations. The hiring manager was hoping to solve the problem creatively with an internal promotion of someone with years of experience despite their lack of a college credential. They lamented, “[our contracting funder] declined the waiver request for an existing staff person who had been with the agency 10 years, and we had not been able to fill the position for over a year.” While not all funding contracts are so inflexible, nonprofits—pressed for time and capacity— often default all job descriptions to match the most stringent requirements. This practice may also be influenced by those in charge of developing job descriptions. The SSEP found that direct supervisors were involved in the creation of job descriptions less than half of the time; without the nuanced insight of these direct service managers, it may be easier for leadership and HR professionals to make use of more generic credentials over skills-specific requirements. These circumstances ultimately hurt applicants and employers: without the right credential, many individuals are ineligible to apply for a new job or receive a promotion despite proven capability, needlessly exacerbating staffing shortages. Moving from credential-based to competency-based hiring has become a priority area for the BAC and, as noted above, multiple BAC agencies are in the midst of reviewing their job descrip-

Finally, staff pay and agency budgets play an undeniably large role in influencing social services staffing challenges. Nonprofits across the social services sector struggle to pay employees living wages, and as detailed elsewhere, have very few alternative mechanisms for altering pay out side of contract funding. Participating agencies stressed repeatedly that while they have some leeway to supplement government contracts with private funding, most of that philanthropic support is earmarked for other purposes or restricted entirely. The only way they are able to pay their staff more is to promote them or receive an enhancement from a government contract. As one participating agency explained, “A lot of individuals in our workforce are not compensated fully for the work they do. The contracts should reflect the work being done.” Another said, “As many of our agency’s funders value employing people with lived experience, I would like them to actually invest more in compensating them, including taking into consideration how better compensation can impact their public benefits.” Without adequate pay, many employees quite literally cannot afford to remain in direct service roles long term.

REFLECTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

tions and the processes for creating and updating them. These review processes should relax at least some job qualifications (for those roles where funders are less stringent) and improve recruitment prospects across individual agencies. Funder-mandated requirements present a more complex, long-term obstacle for the sector to tackle together. As one participating member stated, “If organizations were to collectively say, ‘Moving forward, this is what we’re going to articulate as a standard for these particular positions’ when creating contracts, it would be ideal and make us stronger together.”

“ A lot of individuals in our workforce are not compensated fully for the work they do. The contracts should reflect the work being done.” —BAC Member Leader Payment delays further complicate this challenge. Issuing contracts months or even years after the launch of City-funded programs has become standard operating procedure in New York City. These delayed contracts significantly contribute to delayed payments to the agencies performing social services work. One participating agency succinctly described the challenge and solution: “Expedite payments due to vendors and providers that are truly counting on those dollars. We’re not asking for more than what we’ve been promised. It shouldn’t take years to reconcile payments on services well rendered.” Executive Order 47, issued January 2025, requires City agencies to designate a Chief Nonprofit Officer to coordinate with the Mayor’s Offices of Nonprofit Services and Contract Services, a positive move that will ideally “improve services, provide quality customer service in response to outreach from nonprofits, and expedite payments and communication with nonprofits.”13 Hopefully responses like Executive Order 47 will pave the way for improved financial health and flexibility among social services agencies. Nevertheless, the sector will need to continue to band together to advocate for more pay- and payment-related change. The aforementioned JustPay advocacy campaign has already unified nonprofits in pushing for higher pay levels and represents an ongoing opportunity for BAC members and others to lend their collective voice to this vital issue. The SSEP suggests that social services agencies stand to gain most in the areas of attracting, retaining, and cultivating staff by focusing improvement efforts on job quality, including some of the less tangible aspects. This necessitates that the sector address communication break-

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

Factors Influencing Job Quality SSEP research uncovered many themes underlying the social services staffing crisis that, unsurprisingly, appear linked to job quality. ECONOMIC STABILITY

ECONOMIC MOBILITY

EQUITY, RESPECT, AND VOICE

Sustainable pay

Clear and equitable hiring and advancement pathways

Transparent policies and practices

Accessible benefits Fair scheduling practices Safe working conditions

Professional development opportunities Wealth-building opportunities

Inclusive and equitable culture Ability to improve the workplace

Adapted from the Good Jobs Champion Group, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Families and Workers Fund.

downs, credential-based hiring, and poor pay. The recommendations that follow include actions individual agencies can pursue, as well as ones best addressed collectively through advocacy, additional research, and engagement of policymakers and government agency administrators.

Agency-Specific Recommendations Agency-specific recommendations highlight actions that can be undertaken at the individual organizational level, and if done so across the sector, would be likely to improve the social services staffing crisis based on the SSEP’s findings.

Support social services staff, especially direct service employees, with clear and consistent communication around staffing-related policies Social services agencies should shape an organizational culture that prioritizes clear and consistent communication of policies, benefits, and professional development opportunities, as well as constructive feedback. This includes communication mechanisms that are regular and frequent; that reach all levels of the agency, from leadership to entry-level roles; and that are conveyed via myriad methods and channels at varying times, taking into account staff with low digital literacy, those who lack regular access to a computer or email account while on the job, and who work non-traditional hours.

Support social services managers with role-specific training, mentorship, and feedback Social services agencies should identify and offer or make accessible management-specific training and mentorship, improving supervisors’ competency, self-assurance, and team satisfaction. Managers, and direct service workers more broadly, can also be better supported with

REFLECTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

continuing education and tuition reimbursement benefits that are easier to navigate and access. These include programs like the City University of New York (CUNY) Human Services Career Advancement Scholarship, which covers half of the tuition toward a CUNY degree or a social work license for individuals who have worked at least one year in the human services sector,15 and the CUNY Reconnect initiative, which provides resources and assistance for New Yorkers who began but did not complete degree programs at a CUNY college. As a result of SSEP findings, the BAC is also considering the development of a non-college-level training, available to the public, that pointedly addresses the particular challenges facing managers at social services agencies. At the time of this report, no participating agencies have standardized processes for supporting staff in accessing these available benefits, outside of orientation. Improved communication around and access to this resource is crucial.

Adopt competency-based job descriptions and hiring practices Social services agencies should review the job requirements set forth in their job descriptions, paying special attention to direct service roles and others that experience high vacancy rates and turnover. The requirements should be assessed critically in relation to job responsibilities— using the input of direct supervisors where helpful—and updated to reflect the minimum standards necessary to perform the role well. To the extent that job descriptions can ask for skills instead of education or certifications, while still attracting capable talent, the more candidates there will be to choose from. In situations where a public funding contract mandates a requirement that does not seem essential to the job, an exception or waiver should be requested. In scenarios where a funder is unmoving, the agency should check to see if there are similar jobs across the organization supported by different, more flexible government contracts. In this case, agencies should avoid using the same job requirements across the board and tweak those that they can so as to be as inclusive as possible.

Codify and broadly share practices around promotion and career pathways Social services agencies should prioritize the documentation of promotion practices and career pathways, accompanied by follow-through efforts to broadly and consistently disseminate this information. This information should be accessible to and digestible by all staff, including those with lived experience and most likely to experience barriers to employment and retention (see communication recommendations above).

Sector-Wide Recommendations The following system-level issues identified through the SSEP warrant collective approaches to advocacy, research, and engagement of policymakers and government agency administrators.

Advocate for contracts that better reflect realistic pay scales Social services advocates should work to ensure that the resources allocated for any given contract, as indicated by the request for proposals (RFP) process, accurately account for the full scope of work requested, as well as reflect wage levels appropriate to the education and experience levels specified. Advocates can point to the public workforce—the very individuals that administer contract funding—as an example of what contracted wages should look like. As referenced throughout this report, government employees with the same or similar job titles as their peers in nonprofit agencies are paid much more (nearly 14% on average).16 To address the wage

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

challenge, the sector must ramp up efforts to champion compensation measures commensurate with what is paid in the private and public sectors, and that are equitable across contracts (i.e., a case manager’s pay set by one funding agency should equal that set by another’s, provided the required responsibilities are similar). This should also include appropriate levels of funding to provide for shift differentials and bonuses—incentives that, in the words of one participating agency, could “make a real difference in hiring and retaining staff.”

Exert pressure on the City to prioritize timely issuance of City contracts and on-time payments from City agencies Social services advocates should make clear how contract and payment delays jeopardize the day-to-day provision of services and, ultimately, the ability of their organizations to operate. They should further develop a strategy for regular communication with the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Offices of Nonprofit Services and the Chief Nonprofit Officers of relevant City agencies to ensure nonprofit agencies themselves have a voice and a say in reforming the City’s inefficient contracting and payment process.

Demonstrate the need and advocate for flexibility on staff credential and educational requirements Social services advocates should illustrate to funding agencies the consequences of leaving critical positions unfilled in the search for candidates with required credentials. They should collaborate on a cohesive list of suggested changes to the most common job description requirements where a competency-based qualification could justifiably replace a credential-based one. This list should be presented to all relevant funding agencies with detailed explanations and examples where such changes have been successful, where relevant.

CONCLUSION

Conclusion

The social services agencies who contributed to the SSEP, arguably representative of the sector on the whole, are staffed by individuals who care passionately about the work they do and the clients they serve. Social services employees consistently express a deep desire to build strong organizations that execute meaningful work and better New York City communities. The staffing crisis currently challenging the sector is not the result of an enervated workforce, but rather of financial limitations alongside organizational inefficiencies frequently borne out of certain funder-related requirements and contracting delays that have become cemented into the broader culture. Improvements are possible, and the SSEP made clear that social services agencies recognize and wish to address their staffing issues. Nevertheless, they are consistently hindered by a lack of time and resources to develop, trial, and prioritize solutions. The SSEP sought to research and make clear potential solutions, which will be easier to advocate for and adopt via collaborative efforts where organizations pool resources and support. To stabilize the social services staffing environment and enhance client care, the sector must work in partnership to update internal systems and campaign for targeted public contract-related changes.

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

Endnotes 1 Coalition for the Homeless. (2024, July). State of the homeless 2024: Rights under attack, leadership in retreat. https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/State-of-the -Homeless-2024-PDF.pdf 2 New York State Comptroller’s Office. (2021, March). FY 2022 Agency Watch List. https://comptroller.nyc. gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/Watch_List_Homeless_Services.pdf 3 Center for an Urban Future. (2024, May). Solving the staffing crisis facing NYC’s human services organizations. https://nycfuture.org/research/solving-the-staffing-crisis-facing-human-services -organizations-in-nyc 4 New York State Comptroller’s Office. (2025, January). The critical role of nonprofits in New York. https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/pdf/critical-role-of-nonprofits-in-new-york.pdf 5 New York City Comptroller’s Office, Bureau of Contracts Administration. (2025, January). Annual summary contracts report for the City of New York, fiscal year 2024. https://comptroller.nyc.gov/ reports/annual-summary-contracts-report-for-the-city-of-new-york-fiscal-year-2024/ 6 Parrott, J., & Moe, L. K. (2022, March). The case for ending poverty wages for New York City’s human service workers. Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. https://www.centernyc. org/reports-briefs/the-case-for-ending-poverty-wages-for-new-york-citys-human-services-workers 7 Center for an Urban Future. (2024, May). Solving the staffing crisis facing NYC’s human services organizations. https://nycfuture.org/research/solving-the-staffing-crisis-facing-human-services -organizations-in-nyc 8 Workforce Professionals Training Institute. (2020, August). An introduction to New York City’s frontline workforce professionals (Data Report No. 1). 9 New York City Mayor’s Office for Nonprofit Services. (2024, February 24). Nonprofit Resiliency Committee overview. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/human-services -contracts.page 10 JustPay Campaign. (2024, March 3). Facts & research. https://justpayny.org/ 11 Parrot, J. (2025, January). Moving beyond COLAs to salary parity. Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ee4f0be4b015b9c3690d84/t/67928e2e a2dbb23e331ac21d/1737657937883/Moving+Beyond+COLAs+to+Salary+Parity+++For+New+York+ City%E2%80%99s+Nonprofit+Human+Services+Workers+FINAL.pdf 12 Emerging Minds. (2024, January). Trowse, L., & Edser, B. Why communication matters in lived experience work. https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/why-communication-matters-in-lived -experience-work/ 13 New York City Mayor’s Office for Nonprofit Services. (2025, April 17). Chief nonprofit officers. https:// www.nyc.gov/site/nonprofits/about/chief-nonprofit-officers.page 14 Conway, M., et al. (2025, June). Fixing work: Lessons from job quality practitioners. Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Fixing -Work-Lessons-From-Job-Quality-Practitioners.pdf 15 City University of New York. (2025, June 16). Human Services Career Advancement Scholarship. https:// www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/ocip/students/human-services-career-advancement -scholarship/#master 16 New York State Comptroller’s Office. (2021, March). FY 2022 Agency Watch List. https://comptroller.nyc. gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/Watch_List_Homeless_Services.pdf

The Social Services Employment Project (SSEP) is a publication of the Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance department at Project Renewal, Inc. and The Woodruff Group, Ltd on behalf of the Social Services Business Advisory Committee (BAC). Project Renewal developed the concept for the SSEP and supported the research and engagement of BAC members and other New York City social services providers. This project was supported by the New York City Workforce Funders Collaborative; Project Renewal and the BAC are thankful for their commitment to supporting and strengthening the New York City workforce and social services systems. This report was authored by Stacy Woodruff of The Woodruff Group, Ltd with support from Susan Vertucci, Rose Monet Little, Erika Hval, Monica Foote, Allison Messina, and Christiana Gozo. Amy LeBow and Matthew Rogers of Two by Sixteen designed the report.

SOCIAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT PROJECT REPORT 2025

Acknowledgments

The entire SSEP team expresses its gratitude to the members of the BAC and other participating agencies. Without their candor, concern, and commitment to supporting and bettering the staff, systems, and processes necessary to run critical programs for under-resourced New Yorkers, this research would not have been possible. Their ongoing focus on the issues explored and surfaced through the SSEP will benefit not only their agencies, but also the broader social services ecosystem.

Project Renewal Inc., 2025 www.projectrenewal.org 212-620-0340 info@projectrenewal.org