Important Dates to Follow: 

- Communites Thrive, The City has announced the relaunch of Communities Thrive, a $3.7 million, two-year investment in addressing the mental health needs of underserved New Yorkers. Through Communities Thrive, organizations representing Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, and Latinx New Yorkers will develop community-driven strategies to promote mental health and will directly connect people who need care to tele-mental health services at NYC Health + Hospitals. The Mayor’s Office of ThriveNYC plans to award three contracts as part of this demonstration project: these contracts will go to three Community Anchors, one serving Asian American and Pacific Islander New Yorkers, one serving Black New Yorkers, and one serving Latinx New Yorkers. Each Community Anchor will serve as a project manager, leading a program to address the mental health needs of a sub-population particularly at risk of mental health issues and whose needs are unmet. 

From the Press Office: 

A Recovery for All of Us: Mayor de Blasio Announces Applications are Open for the 2021 Summer Youth Employment Program

March 22, 2021

Nation’s largest summer youth employment initiative returns with paid work experiences and project-based learning opportunities for 70,000 young people; Applications now available at nyc.gov/syep

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that New York City young people between the ages of 14 and 21 can apply through April 23 for the 2021 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The initiative, which was launched in 1963, returns this year after the all-virtual SYEP Summer Bridge 2020 was created to adapt to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic last summer. Beginning on July 6, the six-week program will offer SYEP participants the opportunity to explore their interests and career pathways, build workplace skills, and engage in learning experiences that help develop their social, civic and leadership skills. By participating in structured project- and work-based opportunities, NYC youth are better prepared for careers of the future and to help the City recover in the months and years to come.

 “Young New Yorkers have been through so much this year, and our recovery cannot leave them behind,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I am thrilled the Summer Youth Employment Program will connect 70,000 young people to paid opportunities, and I encourage everyone interested to apply!”  

"Many of New York City’s successful leaders started their careers with a summer job or a mentor who helped build their skills and self-confidence,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. "After a challenging year of social distancing and remote learning, the return of the Summer Youth Employment Program will restore a sense of normalcy for thousands of young people, provide income and give them the tools they need to launch successful careers."  (Click here, for more information).

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Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter Announce $130 Million Restoration to School Budgets

March 22, 2021

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter today announced a full hold harmless of school budgets that were impacted by this year’s mid-year adjustment in light of federal stimulus education dollars funding for education. Every year, the mid-year adjustment process equitably redistributes funds from schools that had less student need than projected at the beginning of the school year to schools that experienced greater need. 

This year, schools will receive funding for any money they previously owed, including money they have already paid back, resulting in a restoration of over $130 million to almost 880 school budgets to help support them during these challenging times. Schools that received additional funding through the mid-year adjustment will still keep the full amount that was committed to them, which totals approximately $110 million for over 640 schools. 

"With stimulus funding we can officially return money to schools that would be lost to the registration process. This means more money for teachers and tutoring as we reopen school buildings," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Thank you to Speaker Johnson and the City Council for helping us get this done."  (Click here, for more information).

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A Recovery for All of Us: 181st Street Busway to Launch April 26, Bringing Faster Buses to 66,000 Daily Riders in Washington Heights

March 19, 2021

Two months after launch of Flushing-Main Street busway, DOT announces speeds up 13-31%

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the 181st Street Busway, which will bring faster bus speeds to 66,000 daily riders in Washington Heights, will launch on April 26th, 2021. The 0.5-mile busway, which builds on the success of similar projects on Jay Street in downtown Brooklyn, 14th Street in Manhattan, and Flushing-Main Street in Queens, is the latest promise kept in Mayor de Blasio’s transformational Better Buses initiative, announced last June.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) also announced today that two months after its launch, the Flushing-Main Street busway is already providing faster and more reliable bus service for 155,000 daily riders in Queens. Data from MTA/New York City Transit show that bus speeds along the Main Street corridor have been significantly faster since January 19th. Bus speeds in the northbound direction are on average 15%-24% faster during the day, and 13%- 31% faster during the PM peak.

“Washington Heights deserves faster, safer, more reliable bus transit. The 181st Street busway will help this iconic neighborhood come back stronger than ever,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Busways have transformed transportation across the city – most recently in Flushing, where the new busway has dramatically increased speeds in just two months – and I look forward to bringing these changes to even more neighborhoods citywide.”  Click here, for more information).

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A Recovery for All of Us: De Blasio Administration Celebrates Groundbreaking for Final Phase of Major Affordable Housing Development in the Bronx

March 19, 2021

City delivers 261 affordable homes for low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers

Compass Residences Development to bring jobs, school, and public recreational space to West Farms

NEW YORK—Today, the de Blasio administration joined the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Monadnock Development, Signature Urban Properties and Wells Fargo to celebrate the groundbreaking of Compass Six, the final phase of a large-scale affordable housing development serving West Farms, one of the neighborhoods in the Bronx hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compass Six is a 16-story rental building comprised of 261 affordable homes serving low-income families in the fifth and final phase of the Compass Residences project. Half of the homes are reserved for families earning under $52,000, and 39 homes will serve formerly homeless families. It also includes a 1,600 square foot community facility space. The full Compass Residence Development, when complete, will have a total of 1,400 affordable homes throughout its eight buildings.

“Building a recovery for all of us means ensuring every New Yorker has fair access to affordable housing. This project will deliver opportunity to a proud neighborhood that has been hit hard by COVID-19, and help West Farms chart a path forward for its recovery,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With a new school, space for small businesses, public recreation space, and easy access to health care, the Compass Residences will transform and revitalize the heart of the Bronx.”  (Click here, for more information).

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