The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) is an independent,

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization established in 1939. Originally formed as a charity providing direct assistance to the poor, its mission has evolved include research and

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

as well as legal and informational support services for other organizations that work with low-income individuals. It is one of the seven organizations supported by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' "Neediest Cases Fund".

History

The Community Service Society was formed in 1939 by the merger of two of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

's most prominent social welfare organizations, the

Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor The Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor (AICP) was a charitable organization in New York City, established in 1843 and incorporated in 1848 with the aim of helping the deserving poor and providing for their moral uplift.Coble, Alan ...

, organized in 1843 and incorporated in 1848, and the

Charity Organization Society The Charity Organisation Societies were founded in England in 1869 following the ' Goschen Minute' that sought to severely restrict outdoor relief distributed by the Poor Law Guardians. In the early 1870s a handful of local societies were formed w ...

, founded in 1882.

Purpose

CSS tackles

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

on many fronts, bringing a unique perspective to the field of urban poverty. From Government agencies to elected officials; from grass roots advocacy groups to major media outlets, CSS works to raise awareness about, and provide solutions to the problems facing low-income New Yorkers. The Community Service Society: *Conducts research that helps shape public policies concerning poverty. *Advocates for low-income New Yorkers at all levels of government. *Provides direct services and technical assistance to individuals and organizations. *Engages volunteers who help build stronger communities.

Programs

CSS works independently and in coalition with other organizations on issues of urban poverty in the areas of

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on affo ...

, the labor market,

public benefit In philosophy, economics, and political science, the common good (also commonwealth, general welfare, or public benefit) is either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, or alternatively, what is achieved by c ...

programs and properly financed

public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

. The coexistence of CSS's program and policy work have resulted in the creation of model programs such as the

Retired Senior Volunteer Program AmeriCorps Seniors is a United States government program run by the agency Corporation for National and Community Service. The program engages volunteers aged 55 and older to serve their communities. There are over 200,000 volunteers nationwide. ...

(RSVP). Conceived on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

in 1967 with 23 volunteers, RSVP now is one of the largest volunteer programs for older adults in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, with 9 000 men and women volunteering in agencies throughout the city. CSS has also engaged in

Community development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

initiatives: Through employment projects, tenant associations, health care and civic participation that engaged the residents in finding innovative ways to fortify their community, the Gates Avenue project helped to revitalize a neighborhood in Bedford–Stuyvesant,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. CSS's

Social Services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

Department serves individuals, families and seniors who are undergoing a temporary emergency with a range of services from eviction prevention, financial assistance to housing and job searches. In November 2009, CSS acquired '' City Limits Magazine''.

References

External links

Community Service Society of New York Homepage
{{Authority control Poverty in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York City 1939 establishments in New York City Organizations established in 1939