One of the most prominent nonprofits working with disabled New Yorkers says it is missing millions in contract payments from the state, putting the organization under major financial strain.
Sharon McLennon Wier, executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY), said her organization is currently owed $6 million from state contracts.
The New York State Department of Health did not respond to request for comment in time for publication.
In 2024-2025, CIDNY served 75,000 residents from babies to seniors from all five boroughs. Two million people in the NYC area have a documented disability, whether physical, mental or learning-related, according to McLennon Wier.
This includes more than 10% of the Bronx County population with a disability defined by the state Department of Health as “any condition of the body or mind that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities and interact with the world around them.”
In the borough, many find they cannot hold down a job without related support services, such as paratransit, medication administration, home care and others that may be cut if organizations like CIDNY do not survive, said McLennon Wier. “For people with disabilities, the Bronx is tough.”
Reports of major backlogs in city and state contract payouts are nothing new, and the Bronx Times has previously reported on other local organizations waiting on millions. In this case, CIDNY’s contracts with the city are mostly up to date, but the same is not true for the state, according to McLennon Wier.
With millions held up in such a long delay, she said CIDNY services could be at risk, not to mention the livelihoods of 180 staff members within the nonprofit.
She said CIDNY has used up reserve funds and opened lines of credit just to make payroll and that the organization is cutting back on non-essential expenses.
“We’re moving money around to cover things,” she said. “We take it one payroll at a time.”
Half of CIDNY’s staff are disabled themselves and truly understand the challenges that clients experience. “If it’s not for us, folks will be lost,” McLennon Wier said.
For her, the situation has meant many sleepless nights and a “very unhappy” board of directors who know that demand for services is only increasing while they await contracted funds.
“I don’t want to let my staff down, and I don’t want to let the disability community down,” McLennon Wier said.
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