Nonprofits struggle to stave off suffering as CEOs refuse to hire. by Nate Jackson
Unfortunately, the Union Gospel Mission is having a busy year.
The Union Gospel Mission is a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter as well as other “last resort” services to folks who have been hit hard by this still continuing recession. State services have been chopped and many nonprofit organizations in the area, including the Mission, have had to pick up the slack created by politicians gifting tax giveaways to CEOs while cutting off public services.
Policy makers need to reinvest in us instead of handing out money to CEOs who don’t need it. There is work that needs doing and we need good jobs in our communities.
The Mission provides emergency shelter to over 500 people per night, which is up from previous years. It’s privately funded through individual donations and foundations, but has seen more working families turn to its services. The Mission is partnering with other community groups and is asking for those with the means to help support the organization.
It is cleaning up the mess made by policy makers who have sided with CEOs instead of struggling working families.
We’ve seen savings disappear and back up plans dry up as we’ve stayed unemployed. We’ve fallen through the cracks of social services as state money is ripped away due to budget cuts. We want to work, but when corporations are giving bonuses to millionaire CEOs instead of creating good jobs in our communities we’re stuck.
We are potential wasted.
Without fully funding basic services, education, health care and holding corporations accountable to hire instead of rewarding layoffs we cannot move forward. The work that needs doing is not just roads and bridges, but also growing and supporting workers. How many of us are stuck, forced to rely on services, instead of living up to our full potential?
We have the talent and the skills. We have the potential and the experience; we just do not have the opportunity to get back to work. Society can’t afford to forget us. We the working families are the strength of our economy, not greedy CEOs or out of touch policy makers. We need to invest in our communities not just by building bridges and fixing schools, but also by funding public services that help us get back on our feet and back to work.
We can’t afford to wait anymore. No more tax giveaways to greedy CEOs and out of state corporations. No more rewarding companies for firing people. No more bonuses for putting working families out on the street. We have work that needs doing right here and giving a helping hand to those of us who feel forgotten is a good place to start.