Recent News
NYPWA Updates & Social Service News
August 17, 2026 — New York’s county governments are preparing for higher costs and a heavier workload as changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, take effect this fall. John Liddle, who spent five years as Sullivan County’s Commissioner of Health and Human Services before resigning in May, is now executive director of the New York Public Welfare Association. He says changes approved by Congress last year are shifting more of the cost of administering SNAP onto state and local governments while requiring county social services departments to do more work.
Delay federal SNAP cuts so local governments can keep people connected to food (Your Letters)
August 17, 2026 — NYPWA Op-Ed in Syracuse.com. Congress cut funding and instituted work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Local governments have to do double the work with half the money, the letter writers say.
Child Care Voucher Enrollment Is Closed in 34 New York Counties and NYC
March 31, 2026 — More than half of New York counties have stopped enrolling eligible families in the state’s child care voucher program as of mid-March amid a funding crisis that has persisted for over a year, new data shows.
Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State: Your Family. Your Future. My Fight.
January 13, 2026 — Governor Kathy Hochul today delivered her 2026 State of the State address, outlining more than 200 initiatives.
January 8, 2026 — Plaintiffs filed an emergency motion for temporary restraining order, seeking to preserve the status quo pending the resolution of their forthcoming motion for a preliminary injunction. Acting in its Part I capacity, this Court received plaintiffs’ motion, including the affirmation of Jessica Ranucci and accompanying exhibits, plaintiffs’ memorandum of law, and plaintiffs’ complaint. The Court held a hearing on the motion on January 9, 2026.
HHS Freezes Child Care and Family Assistance Grants in Five States for Fraud Concerns
January 6, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services freezes $10 billion in federal child care and family assistance funds for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York.