Mayor de Blasio announced a new affordable housing record for NYC, with 23,284 homes financed in FY16, the second highest in history…. NYC added 26,400 new jobs in June, with unemployment falling to 5.0%… New school climate initiatives will ensure our public schools are safer, fairer, and more transparent for students and families… The Hills opened on Governors Island, adding 10 new acres of public space to one of the city’s gems… the Shelter Repair Scorecard shows a 72% drop in non-cluster homeless shelter building violations since January 2016… the Health Department highlighted the City’s Zika readiness, as the first case of Zika-associated microcephaly was confirmed in NYC… Red Hook’s Atlantic Basin will be home to a new ferry landing when the Mayor’s Citywide Ferry Service launches in summer 2017… rat sightings are down in a number of community districts as the administration builds on its successful programs… MOIA and DCA launched an IDNYC pop-up enrollment center in Harlem, providing residents who sign up with easy access to bank accounts and other vital tools… ActionHealthNYC continues to improve health care access for foreign-born NYC residents ahead of the August 13th enrollment deadline… DCA launched the Collaborative for Neighborhood Financial Health, empowering residents to improve their financial health and stability, while new Commissioner Salas highlighted the agency’s work to protect New Yorkers.
What we’re sharing:
Sergeant Hameed Armani grew up in Afghanistan, fought the Taliban, and now wears NYPD blue while keeping Times Square safe. Sergeant Armani and his partner Officer Peter Cybulski were faced with the worst when a suspicious device was thrown into their police vehicle – and they showed their best.
Affordable Housing Ahead of Schedule – Mayor de Blasio announced that the administration secured 23,284 affordable apartments and homes in Fiscal Year 2016, the second highest production in NYC history and the most since Ed Koch was mayor. Housing New York is now ahead of schedule, with 52,936 affordable homes financed so far – enough for 130,000 New Yorkers – including 3,500 new apartments for people making under $24,000 per year and over 4,000 homes for low-income seniors.
#deBlasiosNewYork: More Jobs – NYC added 26,400 private sector jobs in June 2016, while the city’s unemployment continues to drop – down to 5.0% (versus 5.1% in May 2016, and 5.5% in June 2015). The City’s strategic investments in growth sectors and job hubs across the five boroughs are paying off – meaning a broader range of New Yorkers are benefitting from new opportunities and good-paying, career-track jobs. In the first two years of Mayor de Blasio’s administration, all five boroughs added jobs at much higher rates than in previous years.
Safer, Structured Schools – The second phase of the de Blasio administration’s roadmap to promote safer schools and end overly-punitive school discipline policies includes replacing suspensions with more age-appropriate discipline for the youngest children (kindergarten through second grade), and $47 million in annual funding for new programs and mental health services. The plan also includes clear protocols for the removal or addition of scanners in schools, and an expansion of publicly-released NYPD school data on arrests, summonses, and handcuffing. These reforms mean safer schools for our children, and more empowered educators and families.
The Hills Are Alive – The de Blasio administration, former Mayor Bloomberg, and the Trust for Governors Island officially opened The Hills on Governors Island, which adds 10 new acres of public space for the city. This marks a new chapter in the continued transformation of Governors Island from an abandoned former military base into a year-round destination for recreation, culture, and innovation.
72% Drop in Shelter Violations – Since January 2016, the de Blasio administration, through the Shelter Repair Squad, has successfully cut outstanding building code violations at non-cluster shelters by 72 percent – part of the administration’s comprehensive, long-term approach to homelessness. Every violation that the City is able to repair marks another step toward providing safe, clean environments for homeless New Yorkers to recover and return to housing.
Zika Preparedness – On Friday, Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio and Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett confirmed the first case of Zika-associated microcephaly in NYC. The child’s mother was infected in a country in which Zika transmission in ongoing, and both the mother and child are under continued medical supervision and care. The Health Department’s Fight Back NYC! campaign continues to urge New Yorkers, especially those who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant or their partners, to take vital precautions. Learn more here.
Ferry Fully Steam Ahead – Mayor de Blasio’s Citywide Ferry Service continues to move forward, with the City announcing that Red Hook’s Atlantic Basin will be home to a ferry landing when the South Brooklyn route launches in summer 2017. The landing will service over 6,000 residents that live within a half-mile radius, including many families in NYCHA’s Red Hook Houses. The Citywide Ferry Service will launch a number of new routes next year, with more to come in the future, and create at least 155 new good jobs in the Harbor.
Rat Reductions – A new Health Department report shows real reductions of 80 to 90 percent in active rat signs, such as live rats and active burrows, across the Bronx and Manhattan. This follows the Department’s proactive approach to address properties with rats, including extensive baiting. The administration continues to build on this work with the Rat Reservoir program funded in last year’s budget.
Get Carded – This week the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Department of Consumer Affairs launched an IDNYC pop-up enrollment center at Carver Federal Saving Bank’s 125th Street branch in Harlem. Consumer Affairs Commissioner Lorelei Salas and Carver CEO Michael T. Pugh enrolled as IDNYC cardholders, to encourage all New Yorkers to participate in the program. According to DCA research, 20 percent of households in Central Harlem are “unbanked,” meaning that they do not have a relationship with a banking institution. IDNYC provides the unbanked with easy access to a checking or savings account that can help to create financial stability and security.
Act Now for ActionHealthNYC – City officials across the administration are taking part in a coordinated effort to ensure immigrant New Yorkers know of the City services available to them, including ActionHealthNYC. Enrollment in ActionHealthNYC ends on August 13th. ActionHealthNYC is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s larger effort to improve health care access for the foreign-born population in NYC. ActionHealthNYC can help New Yorkers get low-cost health care, if they are not eligible for insurance like Medicaid or able to access supports under Obamacare. People can make an enrollment appointment by calling 3-1-1 and asking for “ActionHealthNYC”.
Financial Empowerment – DCA launched the Collaborative for Neighborhood Financial Health with interactive workshops in Bedford-Stuyvesant and East Harlem. The project is an initiative of DCA’s Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) to work on the community level, in collaboration with residents and community groups, to develop new approaches to empower residents to improve their financial health and stability. DCA OFE is leading teams of community partners in the two neighborhoods to create a set of indicators to assess neighborhood financial health and then work with the community to develop a set of strategies, policies, programs and financial products that allow neighborhoods to build assets and empower their residents. The project also seeks to advance the understanding of the relationship between an individual’s financial health and the neighborhood in which he or she lives.
