March means something special at Urban Resource Institute.
It is Social Work Month, and for us, that is personal. The majority of our team are social workers. They are the steady presence in our shelters. They are the voices advocating in courtrooms and city agencies. They are the hands guiding survivors through crisis toward stability.
They are not just part of our work. They are the foundation of it.
This year’s theme from the National Association of Social Workers is Social Workers: Uplift. Defend. Transform. — and it fits URI perfectly.
Uplift. That’s what our social workers do every day. They meet our residents where they are and walk with them through fear, trauma, and uncertainty toward healing and possibility. They build connection and restore hope.
Defend. They advocate fiercely for the rights of survivors — for access to benefits, fair treatment in systems that often fail the most vulnerable, and against forces that would push our families further into poverty. They defend dignity when it feels like the world has taken everything else.
Transform. They help women rebuild their lives. They support families to find financial stability. They lead efforts like our Economic Empowerment Program, where we confront financial abuse, help repair credit, support job readiness, and open doors to long-term stability. When a woman regains control of her finances, her whole life can change.
At URI we don’t just talk about systems change. Our social workers live it. They work to shift how New York approaches homelessness, domestic violence, economic justice, and community health. They hold space for heartbreak and joy. They carry the work forward even when it is hard, heavy, and relentless.
This month we honor them. We thank them. We center them.
Social workers uplift. Social workers defend. Social workers transform. And at URI, social workers change lives every single day.
Nathaniel M. Fields
Chief Executive Officer
