Advocacy group Maryland Nonprofits asks state for $100 million to serve needy communities – WTOP News

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The advocacy group Maryland Nonprofits is asking policymakers for $100 million of the state authorities’s funds surplus to assist neighborhood organizations throughout the state serve needy residents.

In a want record launched final week, the membership group for nonprofits argued that they play a important position in enhancing fairness and high quality of life in native communities however are sometimes uncared for by the federal government.

The additional cash would increase assets for nonprofit organizations and assist them improve providers to the communities they serve.

In its coverage priorities paper, Maryland Nonprofits famous that the state authorities has scaled again significantly, and that providers for the needy took a success through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Particularly because the pandemic, nonprofit service suppliers have been struggling to help and maintain their workforce within the face of insufficient funding and reimbursement charges,” the group wrote. “These suppliers play an important position in supporting these with disabilities, and offering behavioral and psychological healthcare, childcare, and senior providers. Whereas the present funds offers some aid, service reimbursements and wage charges for nonprofits should maintain tempo with mandated staffing necessities and the true aggressive prices of hiring, growing and retaining employees…”

The group is urging policymakers to create a brand new place in state authorities to assist funnel the proposed $100 million to nonprofit organizations across the state.

The 2023 Maryland Nonprofits board chair, Walter Simmons, stated he’s excited to work with legislators to create options for the state’s systemic challenges.

“Maryland Nonprofits is the one group in Maryland that’s advocating for the statewide nonprofit sector and public curiosity,” he stated.

Maryland Nonprofits, which represents about 1,400 nonprofit teams with membership and advocates totaling 37,000, says that its function is to make sure “equal distribution of assets to greatest serve the residents of Maryland.”

In line with its assertion, Maryland Nonprofits will work with advocates throughout the state on quite a lot of coverage priorities in 2023:

• Social justice, range and illustration, significantly efforts to redress racism in prison sentencing and increasing bilingual providers within the state;
• Housing aid and path to homeownership;
• Public security, particularly lowering gun violence and increasing victims’ providers packages;
• Reworking and enhancing mass transit;
• Defending Marylanders’ well being;
• Defending the atmosphere;
• Funding in authorities and nonprofit providers, workforce and infrastructure;
• Strengthening the partnership between authorities and the nonprofit Neighborhood.

On the well being entrance, the nonprofits are pushing for a rise within the availability of free or low-cost public well being providers, together with vaccines, testing and coverings. Additionally they are in search of extra state funding in coordinated neighborhood behavioral well being providers.

The teams are additionally in search of a renewal of expiring funding for the state’s Well being Fairness Useful resource Communities program, and youth well being protection. And they’re pushing for growth and higher entry to public help packages like SNAP, faculty breakfast packages, and different methods that fight meals insecurity.

Heather Iliff, president & CEO of Maryland Nonprofits, stated that out there assets should be distributed to nonprofits and communities which can be in want.

“As suppliers of important neighborhood providers and drivers of financial improvement, nonprofits are a part of our public service infrastructure,” she stated. “We have to be certain that out there assets are equitably allotted to communities that want it most and the nonprofits serving them.”

Nationally, Maryland Nonprofits helps the Nonprofit Power and Partnership Act. The initiative, launched by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), “establishes a proper partnership between federal policymakers and nonprofit organizations to make sure the wants of nonprofits and their communities are thought-about initially of coverage improvement and implementation,” in keeping with a press release from McCollum’s workplace.

In line with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nonprofit trade hires 13% of Maryland’s non-public sector workforce, which is greater than each different non-public sector exterior of retail.