Bronx nonprofits are sounding the alarm that New York City's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget leaves a crucial benefits navigation program out of the spending plan, setting up what they say could be a sudden cliff for immigrant and low-income families who rely on in-person help. Front-line groups say the services are often the only way residents can successfully enroll in food stamps, Medicaid and other safety-net programs, especially when language barriers and confusing paperwork get in the way. With the July 1 budget adoption deadline closing in, community organizations are ramping up advocacy and urging City Hall to restore the funding before the council signs off on the final deal.
Officials press to baseline funding
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and other local officials have urged the administration to "maintain and baseline" dedicated support for benefits navigation so there is no gap in services. In a budget response from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, leaders called for at least $7 million to be locked into the budget so community partners can keep staff and outreach contracts in place instead of scrambling year to year.
Advocates say immigrant families would be hit hardest
Staff at the Arab American Family Support Center told News12 New York that the NYC Benefits program was left out of the proposed FY27 plan, and that losing it could mean families suddenly stop getting help applying for food assistance, housing support and healthcare. Reham Bader of the center warned that language barriers are already a major hurdle, noting that about 70% of the families they assisted last year did not speak English as their first language, and said a funding gap would only deepen that divide. Program participant Mohamed Den told the outlet that the service was essential for his French-speaking household to figure out how to navigate U.S. systems that would otherwise be nearly impossible to decipher.
Funding history and what would change
Budget analyses show that the city funded Benefits Access work in FY26 but did not guarantee the program in the FY27 executive plan. A summary from CCC New York lists $7.2 million in FY26 for the NYC Benefits Access Initiative, money that supported positions at the Human Resources Administration and nonprofit enrollment contracts. Advocates say that without baselining those dollars in FY27, contracts could lapse and nonprofits may have to scale back services or lay off outreach staff, shrinking in-person help for Bronx residents and families in other boroughs.
City Hall says the budget protects core services
The mayor's office has framed the FY27 executive plan as a way to close a multi-billion-dollar gap while still protecting essential programs. According to the city's budget release, the administration's executive budget totals $124.7 billion. As outlined by the Mayor's Office, officials say they aimed to balance the books without raising property taxes or slashing core services, even as they look for savings and new revenue sources.
What comes next
Advocates say they will keep pressing the City Council and the mayor to restore a baselined line item for the program before the budget is adopted, arguing that long-term funding is the only way to avoid recurring crises for families who depend on benefits navigators. A petition demanding stable support has already drawn backing from community members and nonprofit organizations. As reported by News12 New York, activists are planning final outreach pushes and meetings with council offices as the July 1 deadline nears, hoping to secure funding that would keep enrollment assistance workers in neighborhoods across the city.
