Summer job reports show that human services and state and local government are among the fastest-hiring sectors. But many of these jobs lag behind in wage growth. Our analysis of New York State charts a path for policymakers and other leaders to create a pipeline of quality, sustainable public services.

A snapshot of the work we’ve done this past month, including a recap of our Community-Based Restorative Justice initiative year-end celebration and a blueprint for creating service navigation programs.

The cohort of CUNY ISLG interns will work hands-on with the research, policy, data science, legal, and operations teams, as well as participate in discussions with subject matter experts across a number of pressing issue areas.

“We try to come at people like equals, in this together. And I think that helps build trust. I also think the fact that we, our team, is largely made up of people who have a lot of lived experience—there's just a different energy that people are getting and so that trust is a lot faster to form.”

A year after launch, ISLG convened the 16 Community-Based Restorative Justice initiative grantees to celebrate the work being done on the ground, as well as the training and technical assistance experts who’ve provided support along the way and the funders who can keep the work going.

The Request-for-Proposal (RFP) and other parts of grantmaking often leave out smaller, grassroots community organizations who are closest to those they serve. Using our Community-Based Restorative Justice Program and Grassroots Policy Incubator as examples, we dig into ways that funders and grant managers can create a more inclusive process that uplifts new ideas without sacrificing program quality and accountability.

A snapshot of the work we’ve done this past month, including a report on the constitutionality of NYPD Stop-and-Frisks and incubating grassroots policy ideas.

There’s a shortage of funding and capacity-building opportunities available to small grassroots organizations in NYC, which is why the Grassroots Policy Incubator has been designed specifically to support their needs.

A snapshot of the work we’ve done this past month, including quantifying the need for investment in the human services sector, building the next generation of civic engagement leaders, and building an evidence base on the impact of criminal legal reforms.

The study found the sector has doubled since 2000, but that real wages have stagnated compared to private sector employment—with women of color most impacted.  

An overview of the work we did this past month, including tapping into public sector partnerships to prevent hate crimes, helping develop resources to support incarcerated students transition to college after release, and highlighting the amazing women of our Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Project Working Group.

Many incarcerated students are unable to finish their degree before they are released, meaning they must continue their college education once they return to the community to earn the degree they worked toward. To address barriers to reenrolling, the Higher Education in Reentry Reimagined initiative is working to bridge the needs of formerly incarcerated students with the services of educators and providers.