Mayor Adams’ Year Two Marked by Drop in Overall Crime, Economic Opportunity for Working People, Big Wins in Housing, Sanitation, and Public Space
NEW YORK – As he concludes his second year in office, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, senior City Hall leaders, and commissioners from agencies across city government on Thursday, December 21, released a list of key wins delivered to New Yorkers — demonstrating how the Adams administration continues to prioritize public safety, public space, and working people halfway through his first term.
“When we came into office 24 months ago, New York City was in crisis — a once-in-a-generation pandemic, a surge in crime, and a steep recession had brought our city to a standstill. But two years later, thanks to the impressive work of hundreds of thousands of public servants across our administration, jobs are up, crime is down, and we are delivering for working-class New Yorkers every day,” said Mayor Adams. “By putting public safety, public spaces, and working people at the center of our administration, we were able to deliver for New York City in 2023. And in 2024, our administration will continue to build on these historic wins, advance bold ideas, and use every tool at our disposal to continue to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers.”
“We experienced unprecedented challenges in 2023, and yet through collaboration, hard work, and community resilience, New York City has achieved significant milestones this year,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “Our commitment to safety has led to a decrease in crime, focused initiatives have contributed to historic job numbers, and investments in our youth have changed how generations of future New Yorkers read and learn. I am proud of what the Adams administration has done for New York City and am excited to see all that we accomplish in 2024 and beyond.”
“We’re proud of all we’ve done to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers, said Chief Advisor to the Mayor Ingrid P. Lewis Martin. "This has been an epic, record-breaking year. Crime is down in five of the seven major crime categories, we regained all the jobs lost in the pandemic years ahead of schedule, children’s reading and math scores are up, we settled union contracts which had not been negotiated — some as long as 14 years, we created 26,682 units of affordable housing this fiscal year even without the benefit of 421-a, and we are getting black trash bags off our streets — something that people thought would be impossible. We’ve done all of this while simultaneously managing a national crisis — which is a testament to the dedicated public servants who work tirelessly for this city. It’s been an honor to serve New Yorkers with our exceptional team this year, and we’re excited to keep delivering in 2024.”
“Throughout this year, our team of dedicated public servants has worked tirelessly — in the face of difficult circumstances — to deliver for New Yorkers,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done to promote public safety, build more housing, put money back into New Yorkers’ pockets, and fundamentally reimagine how we’re teaching our young people — all while managing a national crisis without enough national support.”
“Over the course of 2023, the Adams administration has made significant progress towards improving the lives of young people and their families across New York City,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar. “From expanding access to affordable child care for young families, to providing enrichment programs after school and during the summer to K-8 students, to setting more high school students on career paths through summer jobs, we are supporting our young people from cradle to career.”
“This has been a truly remarkable year for New York City’s recovery, and it’s cause to celebrate while redoubling our efforts in 2024,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “I’m proud of the wins we have delivered for New Yorkers. We came into the year with our moonshot goal of 500,000 new homes, and followed it up with historic action for working people: the jobs recovery, housing production numbers, ‘City of Yes’ zoning proposals, minimum pay rate for app-based delivery workers, rebuilding NYCHA, supporting small businesses, five major community plans, reducing red tape through ‘Get Stuff Built,’ action on ‘New’ New York proposals, and advanced toward our other ambitious apprenticeship and youth career goals. It is an honor to work with a mayor who pushes us toward these wins, and we look forward to an even bigger 2024.”
“Every day, for nearly two years, we have worked to deliver for New Yorkers, including longtime residents, students, older adults, those who have recently arrived, and so many others who call our city home,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “We have been able to improve access to housing, provide tele-mental health for young people, launch a campaign to extend life expectancy for every New Yorker, expand lifestyle medicine services, increase housing placements for those in shelter, ensure reproductive freedom for all New Yorkers, and so much more. We are energized heading into the next two years of the administration as we work to improve New Yorkers’ lives and make our city more fair, more just, and more equitable.”
“In 2023, we revolutionized our trash pickup and contained it, launched the nation’s largest permanent outdoor dining program, invested over $400 million in green infrastructure to fight the heavy storms that push traditional stormwater pipes beyond their limit, launched the nation’s largest organics pick-up program, implemented aggressive building and transportation emissions reduction through Local Law 97 rulemaking and the green rides program, created over a dozen football fields of new public space across all five boroughs, and, through the Adams administration’s infrastructure task force, brought over $1 billion to New York City,” said Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi. “This is just the start as we continue and accelerate the fundamental work of strengthening and evolving New York City’s operations and infrastructure.”
“From delivering on our promise to bring crime down to recovering all of the jobs lost during the pandemic more than a year ahead of schedule, 2023 was another year where the Adams administration continued to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers,” said Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy. “Every day, we communicated to this city how hundreds of thousands of city employees are delivering for them. And with the launch of our podcast, radio show, weekly evening broadcast interviews, and weekly in-person media availabilities, we gave New Yorkers even more opportunities to hear from and engage with Mayor Adams and other senior members of this administration. In 2024, we will double down on our efforts and show that the greatest city in the world is only getting greater.”
“It is an honor to be serving with a mayor who shows up for all New Yorkers, celebrates our city, rejects hate in all its sinister forms, and stands up for decency, morality, and commonsense on a daily basis,” said City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg.
“I am extraordinarily proud of what our administration has accomplished for working-class New Yorkers over the past two years,” said Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tiffany Raspberry. “Working with our partners across every level of government, we were able to deliver crucial funding for infrastructure, pass legislation to expand open space and protect jobs, and advocate for the needs of everyday New Yorkers. We look forward to building on that success in 2024 and continuing to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for our city.”
Highlights from the second year of the Adams administration include:
Making New York City Safer: Under Mayor Adams’ leadership,overall crime is down in New York City. In 2023, year to date, the city has also seen a drop in five of the seven index crime categories, including a 10.7 percent decline in homicides and a 24.8 percent decrease in shooting incidents. Crime has fallen as a result of proactive strategies deployed by the Adams administration, including plans to crack down on auto thefts,combat retail thefts, and a $500+ million blueprint to keep communities safe from gun violence. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) also made the most grand larceny auto arrests in 20 years, shut down more than 50 illegal smoke shops while seizing more than $23 million in illegal products, and taken over 6,200 guns off the street this year — including the highest number of 3D-printed ghost guns in New York City history — bringing the total number of firearms taken off New York City streets to more than 13,000 since the start of the Adams administration.
Driving the City’s Economic Recovery: Through historic investments in public safety, public space, and working people, Mayor Adams has steered New York City through a new chapter of its economic recovery, officially regaining all of the private sector jobs it lost during the COVID-19 pandemic — more than a year ahead of schedule. More than 282,000 private sector jobs and more than 44,000 businesses — the majority of which are small businesses — have been created since Mayor Adams took office. One in seven total businesses within the city opened within the last year.
Making Safer Streets: Building on a successful implementation of 24/7 speed cameras, which has significantly reduced speeding and bucked street safety trends nationwide, Mayor Adams announced plans to double the rate of safety improvements at intersections — delivering upgrades to at least 2,000 intersections per year with lifesaving visibility improvements through a tool known as daylighting to at least 1,000 of those intersections each year. Mayor Adams also made a historic investment to significantly expand protected bike lane infrastructure and build on the city’s already 150 miles of greenway corridors.The city is on pace to make significant progress on completing new protected bike lanes, especially in the outer boroughs outside of Manhattan. Through the work of the Adams administration’s Infrastructure Task Force, the city received more than $50 million in road safety construction grants for Delancey Street and Queens Blvd. Excluding 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City is on track to have the lowest number of pedestrian deaths in recorded history.
Cleaning City Streets: As New Yorkers produce over 44 million pounds of trash every day — the equivalent weight of 100 commercial planes — Mayor Adams has launched a nation-leading “trash revolution” to keep New York City’s streets clean. The administration has launched efforts to containerize 100 percent of business trash and is on track to do the same for residential trash. After decades of inaction, the administration implemented a new rule in April to drastically reduce the time trash bags could sit on city streets.
Winning the War on Rats: Delivering on a 2023 State of the City commitment, Mayor Adams appointed the city's first-ever citywide director of rodent mitigation to work in coordination with city agencies to reduce the rat population in New York City. As a result of the administration’s focus on rat mitigation and enhanced sanitation interventions, calls about rat activity dropped by 20 percent citywide and by 45 percent in “Rat Mitigation Zones” this summer.
Prioritizing Reading, Making Schools More Equitable: Mayor Adamslaunched “New York City Reads,” a major citywide campaign to declare literacy and reading the overriding priority at New York City public schools. The effort includes approximately $35 million in investments for teacher training and coaching. The administration alsoincreased test scores while decreasing racial disparities in results, and increased school enrollment for the first time in eight years. Math test score proficiency increased by 12 percentage points from 2022 to 2023 and English language arts (ELA) proficiency increased by almost 3 percentage points during that same period. Black students also improved proficiency by 13.8 percent in math and 4.5 percent in ELA, reducing the gap with white students by 2.1 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.
Supporting New Yorkers Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness: Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, homeless outreach staff havereferred 70 percent more people experiencing street homelessness to shelter during Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) compared to FY22 and have moved approximately 1,000 people from Safe Haven and stabilization beds to permanent housing during FY23 — more than double the number from FY22. The administration has alsohelped 50 of the 100 hardest to reach New Yorkers living on city streets get a roof over their heads. This represents a 145-percent increase over the prior year.
Finally Making Child Care Affordable: Through strategic investments and advocacy, the Adams administration reduced the per child co-payment or out-of-pocket cost of subsidized child care for a family earning $55,000 a year from $55 a week in 2022 to $4.80 a week today. Mayor Adams also created New York City’s first Mayor’s Office for Child Care and Early Childhood Education and increased the number of children enrolled in child care with the support of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS)-issued low-income vouchers from fewer than 8,000 in June 2022 to 29,000 in November 2023.
Connecting Young New Yorkers to Jobs: Mayor Adams continued his administration’s investment in accessible career pipelines by releasing a $600 million roadmap to build inclusive pathways for up to 250,000 of the city's young people to discover their passion, receive hands-on career experience, and, ultimately, enter the workforce. The administration’s work to connect young people with accessible careers includes the expansion ofFutureReadyNYC and The City University of New York Tech Equity Initiative, as well as through apprenticeship programs for nursing and other family-sustaining careers.
Meeting the Moment in a Humanitarian Crisis: Since the spring of 2022, more than 157,000 migrants have arrived in New York City seeking shelter while the city has effectively managed a humanitarian crisis almost entirely on its own. The Adams administration has taken fast and urgent action, launching application help centers to help new arrivals apply for over 23,000 asylum, work authorization, and Temporary Protected Status applications, as well as opening more than 210 emergency sites to provide shelter to asylum seekers, including 18 additional large-scale humanitarian relief centers. The city has alsotaken a leadership role amongst other cities in advocating for more federal support in response to this national crisis.
Creating New Public Space for New Yorkers: Understanding that public space is where communities are built, culture is fostered, and opportunities are created, Mayor Adams committed$375 million to creating new public spaces in last year’s State of the City address. To further that effort, he appointedthe city’s first-ever chief public realm officer and launched generational projects, including theexpansion of “Broadway Vision” to create new public space and improved street safety between Madison Square and Herald Square; aplan to invest more than $40 million along Fulton Street and across Downtown Brooklyn; revitalized space under the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan; and an effort to reimagine Fifth Avenue into a pedestrian-centered boulevard from Bryant Park to Central Park. Beyond launching visionary projects to create new public space, Mayor Adams also signed the country’s largest permanent outdoor dining program into law to create better, cleaner, and more accessible sidewalks and roadway cafes and significantly expanded open street programs during the holiday and summer seasons.
Investing in Hundreds of Thousands of Union Workers: The Adams administration has delivered better wages and benefits to hundreds of thousands municipal workers, many who went years without a wage increase. By reaching agreements with over 93 percent of the unionized workforce and 100 percent of the city’s uniformed workforce — the quickest any mayoral administration has reached that milestone in modern city history — the Adams administration has delivered wage increases, ranging from 3 to 3.25 percent a year for its civilian employees and 2.25 to 4 percent for the uniformed workforce, and delivering thousands of additional dollars into pockets of workers.
Building a Sustainable and Resilient Future: Mayor Adams continues to lead the nation in fighting climate change, as New York City cuts emissions and protects its residents against heat, flooding, and storms. Outlining the administration’s vision for this work, Mayor Adams released a long-term strategic climate plan to protect New Yorkers from climate threats and build the city’s green economy. The administration advanced this work with significant efforts such as expanding the Bluebelt program, including the recently-completed New Creek Bluebelt on Staten Island, to create large ponds that absorb water during torrential storms — reducing household flooding and saving lives. The administration also continued to make significant infrastructure investments to protect New Yorkers from extreme weather, such as neighborhoods on the Brooklyn/Queens border, and invested $390 million in green infrastructure to support the fight against extreme rainfall and coastal flooding by expanding the city’s “Cloudburst Program.” To continue to cement New York City’s position as a leader in sustainability solutions, Mayor Adams unveiled plans for the first-in-the-nation climate research, education, and jobs hub on Governors Island.
Making Transportation More Sustainable: Mayor Adams made significant strides to make more sustainable modes of transportation accessible to New Yorkers, by launching his “Ferry Forward” plan for a more equitable and accessible citywide ferry system, made New York City the first U.S. city to commit to making rideshare vehicles entirely zero emissions or wheelchair accessible with the administration’s “Green Rides” rule, and unveiled a vision to transform the Downtown Manhattan Heliport into a first-of-its-kind hub for sustainable transportation and deliveries.
Launching Plan to Reduce Building Emissions: Mayor Adams released “Getting 97 Done,” a comprehensive plan to cut harmful carbon emissions from the city’s large buildings as part of their obligations under Local Law 97 of 2019 that will simultaneously create 140,000 jobs.
Winning Federal Dollars for City Infrastructure: Through the city’s Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force, Mayor Adams helped secure more than $1 billion in federal infrastructure funds focused on strengthening roadways, upgrading water infrastructure, and preparing for a sustainable future. This includes $110 million for resiliency upgrades to the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market, $25 million for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) installations of safe e-bike charging and storage, $15 million in Urban and Community Forestry funds for parks and trees, and more than $310 million in post-disaster funds after Hurricane Ida.
Advancing Women’s Health: After unveilingNew York City’s first-ever “Women’s Health Agenda” earlier this year — aimed at dismantling decades of systemic inequity that have negatively impacted the health of women across the five boroughs — Mayor Adams launchedtelehealth abortion access at NYC Health + Hospitals facilities, making it the first public health system to do so and further expanding New Yorkers’ abortion access at a time when women’s reproductive rights are under attack nationwide.
Supporting Small Businesses’ Growth: Continuing his commitment to small businesses and working people, Mayor Adams launched the historic NYC Small Business Opportunity Fund —the largest public-private loan fund directed at small businesses in the city’s history. Since its launch in January, the Opportunity Fund has awarded more than 900 businesses a total of over $70 million in capital, $55 million of which went to minority or women-owned businesses.
Prioritizing Mental Health: Mayor Adams has made the mental health of New Yorkers a priority by releasinga sweeping mental health agenda to invest in child and family mental health and the overdose crisis, and support New Yorkers living with serious mental illness. The administration also made "TeenSpace" — the city's tele-mental health service for all New York City teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old — available at no cost via phone, video, and text.
Building More Housing: The Adams administration continued its fight to combat the housing and affordability crisis byproducing 26,682 affordable homes in FY23 through new construction and preservation deals — a 22 percent increase over the prior year. That total includes 12,278 homes that will be newly constructed, the second-highest number of new affordable homes funded in one year since tracking began almost 50 years ago. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) also financed the highest number of supportive homes in city history, as well as the highest number of homes for New Yorkers who formerly experienced homelessness since tracking began in 2014. Looking towards the future, the administration continued to cut red tape and lengthy government processes to accelerate housing production and advanced historic projects like the transformation of Willets Point, the city’s largest 100-percent affordable housing project in 40 years.
Making NYCHA’s Voices Heard: The Adams administration continued its commitment to public housing and drove a transformational year for NYCHA that gave residents a say in the future of their homes, broke investment and fundraising records, and ushered in a new era for sustainability. With Nostrand Houses, the first development to vote, selecting to enter the Public Housing Preservation Trust — created by the Adams administration — the development will now be eligible to tap into new funding streams for comprehensive repairs. The Adams administration has alreadykicked off the engagement and voting process for the second development to vote, Bronx River Addition.
Housing Vulnerable New Yorkers: Mayor Adams eliminated the90-day length-of-stay requirement for New Yorkers in shelter to be eligible for the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) rental assistance voucher program, connectedmore households to permanent homes in New York City with CityFHEPS last year than in any year, andexpanded CityFHEPS vouchers to be used for permanent, affordable housing anywhere in New York state. In FY23, the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) helped15,000 households move out of shelters and into permanent housing using a variety of tools and subsidies — an approximate increase of 18 percent over the prior fiscal year.
Standing Up for the LGBTQIA+ Community: In another effort to strongly support the LGBTQ+ community, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signedExecutive Order 32 to protect access to gender-affirming health care in New York City. Mayor Adams and the NYPD alsolaunched a new process to re-examine cases involving LGBTQIA+ victims.
Making New York City a “City of Yes”: Mayor Adams advanced his historic “City of Yes” proposals to modernize the city’s zoning codes to support small businesses, create housing, and promote sustainability. The administration’s first“City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality” proposal passed through the City Council in December, and kicked off public review processes for itseconomic andhousing proposals, which will both be voted on in 2024. The administration also advanced several robust neighborhood planning efforts to deliver more housing and economic opportunities and investments to Central Brooklyn, Midtown South, South Richmond, Long Island City, Jamaica, and the Metro North station area in the Bronx, among others.
Fighting for Vulnerable Workers: Delivering a win for working New Yorkers, the Adams administrationset a first-of-its-kind minimum pay rate for app-based restaurant delivery workers. After the appeals court rejected the apps’ effort to halt the minimum pay rate, the appeals court issued two rulings to allow enforcement of the nation’s first minimum pay rate for third-party app-based restaurant delivery workers. In line with the rulings, apps — including Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub — must pay workers at least $17.96 per hour, increasing to $19.96 per hour when fully implemented in 2025, and adjusted annually for inflation.
Reviving New York City’s Tourism Industry: The administration supported New York City’s tourism and entertainment industries to see a return of nearly 62 million visitors, recovering 93 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Leading on E-Lithium-Ion Batteries: Recognizing the risk of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, the Adams administration advanced a suite of efforts to keep New Yorkers safe and promote safe electric-micromobility usage, including releasing its “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City’s Electric Micromobility Action Plan,” launching aneffort to educate e-bike users and expedite investigations into complaints made about potentially hazardous conditions involving lithium-ion batteries, and announcing a lithium-ion battery-charging pilot program for delivery workers to safely charge their bikes in public. New York City is also the first city in the nation to ban the sale of e-bikes and batteries that do not meet specific product safety standards.
Launching MyCity, a One-Stop Shop for Services and Benefits: Delivering on a 2021 campaign promise, Mayor Adams launched thefirst phases of the MyCity portal to help New Yorkers apply for child care subsidies, and start, operate, and grow businesses with the help of the city’s first citywide AI chatbot.
Investing in Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE): The Adams administrationset a new record for spending on city-certified M/WBE firms in FY23 by awarding over $6 billion in total to M/WBE firms with a record-setting 1,903 certified vendor firms.
Creating Job Hubs in the Outer Boroughs: Mayor Adams continued to drive a more equitable economic recovery and created job hubs outside of Manhattan by advancing projects such as the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, the “North Shore Action Plan” on Staten Island, and the transformation of Willets Point, which will deliver thousands of jobs and the largest 100 percent affordable housing development in 40 years.
Making New York an Inclusive City for All Ages: Ensuring that New York City works for everyone regardless of their age, Mayor Adams launched‘Silver Corps’ — a new workforce development pilot program for older New Yorkers that will increase financial mobility among older adults, combat ageism in the workforce, and fill employment needs in local communities. The program will be funded by AmeriCorps Seniors and will make New York City one of just two municipalities in the nation that has received funding to develop and launch this type of pilot for older adults.
Support Career Advancement for People With Disabilities: Mayor Adams launched asweeping plan and Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion to address the structural challenges many people with disabilities face when pursuing a career. The $8.8 million investment will help 2,500 New Yorkers with disabilities find career-track employment over the next three years.
Making New Yorkers Healthier: Mayor Adams unveiled“HealthyNYC,” an ambitious plan to address the greatest drivers of premature death — including chronic and diet-related diseases, screenable cancers, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, violence, and COVID-19 — to improve and extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers to 83 years by 2030.
Growing New York City’s Life Sciences Sector: Following up on a recommendation from the “New” New York action plan to invest in future-focused sectors to build a more inclusive economic future, Mayor Adams unveiled theScience Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay Master Plan for the first-of-its-kind life sciences career and education hub that will create 15,000 jobs and anchor the city’s industry. New York City was also recently selected by theChan Zuckerberg Initiative to be the home of a new $300 million biomedical research hub in New York City that will leverage public-private investment to drive collaboration between leading research institutions and solve significant scientific challenges.
Removing Ugly Scaffolding and Sheds: The Adams administration launched“Get Sheds Down,” a sweeping overhaul of rules governing sidewalk construction sheds and scaffolding that has already helped remove over 400 sidewalk sheds — accounting for 19 miles. The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) also launched a design initiative for new sidewalk sheds that will improve lighting, safety, design, and overall streetscape experience.
Expanding Big Apple Connect: To further close the digital divide, Mayor Adamsdoubled down on his signature “Big Apple Connect” program, expanding it to reach a total of 220 NYCHA facilities and delivering free in-home internet and basic cable TV to more than 330,000 New Yorkers.
Making the Tech Sector More Equitable: To continue to create accessible pipelines in one of New York City’s most vibrant sectors, the Adams administration opened Civic Hall at Union Square, a tech and digital skills training hub; launched the Venture Access Alliance, a coalition of more than 70 New York City startup investors to increase diversity in the city’s tech and venture ecosystem; and continued to grow the city’s “Founder Fellowship” to support diverse tech entrepreneurs with access to networking, fundraising, mentorship, business development, and other opportunities necessary to build and scale in New York.
Strengthening New York City’s Creative Economy: Mayor Adams maintained record-setting support for the city's cultural community with a budget for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) that is among the largest in the agency's history. From those funds, DCLA awarded more capital investments for new cultural facilities, renovations, and equipment purchases for nearly 80 cultural institutions. Mayor Adams also launched the first-ever Live Performance Industry Council to identify best strategies to support and strengthen this sector, the heart and soul of this city. The administration also continues to invest in the film and television production industry through the creation of custom-built production facilities including Sunset Pier 94 Studios in Manhattan and East End Studios in Sunnyside, Queens, which will create more than 2,700 jobs between the two projects.
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