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The Community Service Society (CSS) is a leading, independent, nonprofit organization that provides innovative solutions to the most urgent problems facing low-income New Yorkers. For more than 160 years, we have worked to strengthen community life by conducting research, policy analysis, advocacy, and service initiatives. We speak for the more than 3 million New Yorkers living at or near the poverty line.
Offices
105 East 22nd Street
New York, New York 10010
212-254-8900
www.cssny.org
Staff
•126 full-time staff, including policy analysts, researchers, and caseworkers.
•7,500 older adult volunteers.
•President and Chief Executive Officer, David R. Jones
Budget
Operating budget of $20,411,000 (for year ended June 30, 2006)
History
Founded in 1848, The Community Service Society was formed by the merger of two of New York City's most prominent social welfare organizations, the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor and the Charity Organization Society.
Some Notable CSS Results
- We created the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). Conceived on Staten Island in 1966 with 23 volunteers, RSVP has grown to one of the largest volunteer programs for older adults in the nation, with 7,500 men and women volunteering in agencies throughout the city.
- We established the Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (MCCAP) to help consumers enroll in and navigate their managed care insurance plans. Through a network of 25 community-based providers, we offer services in 13 languages. MCCAP has reached more than 300,000 consumers since its creation 1998.
- We launched “The Unheard Third,” the nation’s only regular public opinion survey specifically documenting the concerns, attitudes, and hardships of low-income communities. 2006 will mark the fifth year of our annual survey.
- We led the New York City Council to establish the NYCWorks initiative as a result of our research into the limited employment prospects of black and Latino men and young people. The program is currently funded at $18 million per year.
- We recommended that New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg establish a Commission on Construction Opportunities in 2005 to pursue strategies for ensuring that all New Yorkers gain access to quality jobs in the construction trades. The new Commission designed apprenticeship programs and established a high school for construction training.
