State and regional experts with decades of social services experience recently visited Colgate to share their perspectives on the issues raised in Matthew Desmond’s book Poverty, By America as they work to provide support to those struggling to meet basic needs locally and across New York State.
The April 22 panel was moderated by Michael Fitzgerald, the 2024–25 Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81 Chair in regional studies in the Department of Economics, and featured Rajni Chawla, executive deputy commissioner of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), Paul Brady, executive director of New York Public Welfare Association (NYPWA), and Daniel Auwarter, social services commissioner for Chenango County. Sponsored by the Upstate Institute and the Department of Economics, the panel provided an opportunity to hear directly from those who deal with state and local poverty issues on a daily basis. The panelists also discussed the impact of proposed federal cuts to social services and the roles government, nonprofits, and individuals play in reducing poverty.
Chawla explained how the OTDA runs the state’s social welfare programs to help those who are unable to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing, by providing programs to support 3 million state residents daily. She also outlined several state budget proposals to help combat poverty, including the expansion of New York State’s child tax credit for more than 2.75 million children, increased funding to improve maternal and infant health, and funding for universal free school meals, which are included in the state’s recently passed budget.
“There is a lot that has been done, but we have a long way to go. I don’t think we can emphasize enough that the richest country on earth has such a high level of poverty,” Chawla said. “I think we have to work collectively to find ways to make sure federal, state, and local governments have the capability to make certain rule changes. Change is very difficult, but it is absolutely required given where we are currently.”
As local districts face proposed federal cuts to many social service programs, Brady said his work through the NYPWA attempts to mitigate some of that uncertainty by monitoring pending changes and getting accurate information for commissioners. Brady said some commissioners have told him these federal cuts are already taking place — including reduced or eliminated funding for community-based organizations, reduced food and winter heating assistance, and HUD grant reductions — forcing counties to find ways to make up the difference in their budgets.
Brady also took issue with federal government claims that Medicaid will not be cut, noting proposals such as additional work requirements, even though 92% of those on Medicaid are currently working, and many are either children, elderly, or disabled. “If you make it more difficult, people will drop off, but that’s the intention here,” he said.
Brady believes individuals can also help fight poverty through the choices they make every day. “Think about where you spend your money and what organizations you do business with — what are their policies, how do they treat their employees, what wages do they pay? That should really be a factor when you consider buying something through a retailer,” Brady said, noting workers often turn to public assistance to fill in the gaps when employers offer low pay and benefits. “Wouldn’t it be better instead of just increasing their profit margin that they actually compensated their employees at a level that allowed them to be able to step away from public assistance and programs? Where you shop can have an impact on that.”
In his role as one of the state’s 62 social services commissioners supported by the NYPWA, Auwarter shared his perspective on local poverty issues faced in nearby Chenango County — including the ongoing lack of affordable housing and a rise in the number of children experiencing homelessness. Auwarter said New York has one of the lowest homeownership rates in the country, and Chenango County is no exception.
Auwarter said he agreed with a lot of what Desmond says about the shaming of poverty and the inability of a country as rich as ours to do more to eradicate poverty. He shared a quote from Desmond’s book: “Significantly expanding our collective investment in fighting poverty will cost something …The scarcity mindset shrinks and contorts poverty abolitionism, forcing it to operate within fictitious fiscal constraints.”
Officials often respond to poverty issues with a strong desire to do more, Auwarter said, but claim an inability to do so due to financial constraints. “In a lot of situations you find we do have the money to do it, we’re just choosing by policy to spend in certain ways,” he said.
N.Y. State is unique in that its constitution specifically states that the aid and care of those in need is a responsibility of the state, and Auwarter said his role as social services commissioner is also mandated to facilitate those services. He said “welfare state” is often used in a derogatory way to describe the state, but he’s proud of being part of a state with such a strong commitment to supporting social services for residents.
Fitzgerald said he chose panelists who could share their personal experiences and insights on poverty issues, to build on the previous Colgate programming related to the 2024 Community Reads selection Poverty, By America — including Desmond’s visit to campus this past fall and a faculty reaction panel to the book’s themes. Fitzgerald said there has been a lot of discussion at Colgate about poverty related to Desmond's book, “but what was missing was the voices of those who do this work every day.”
In addition to organizing the panel, Fitzgerald also taught two courses during his tenure as Burke Chair, including ECON 230: The Economics of Poverty in the United States this spring with W. Bradford Wiley Professor of International Economics Nicole Simpson. Fitzgerald recently retired as the Madison County Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioner. In his more than 30 years working for Madison County, he has frequently partnered with Colgate and the Upstate Institute on projects related to local and regional poverty, such as the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
The Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81 Endowed Chair for Regional Studies was established in 2006 by Stephen Burke ’80 and Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81. The Burke Chair aligns with the mission of the Upstate Institute to promote and advance a broad and deep understanding of the diverse cultural, social, economic and environmental resources of upstate New York through community based research, the reciprocal transfer of knowledge, and civic engagement.