Mayor's Office of Community Safety

Community safety begins with community. Across New York City, trusted local organizations, neighborhood leaders, advocates, service providers, and residents are working every day to prevent violence, support people in crisis, and help communities heal.

The Office of Community Safety (OCS) partners with community-based organizations in neighborhoods across the five boroughs because the people closest to a community are often best positioned to understand its strengths, needs, and challenges. By pairing community knowledge with City resources and coordinated action, we can prevent harm, expand opportunity, and help every neighborhood become a place where New Yorkers can safely live, grow, and thrive.

Safety is not created by any one institution. It grows from the relationships that connect people to one another and to support: a trusted outreach worker who helps resolve a conflict, a counselor who supports a young person in crisis, a survivor advocate who helps a family navigate trauma, or a local organization that creates a safe place for neighbors to gather.

Community partnerships help OCS:

• Reach New Yorkers through organizations they know and trust.
• Respond to individual and neighborhood needs with local knowledge and cultural understanding.
• Address underlying conditions including unmet mental health needs and limited access to economic opportunity.
• Connect individuals and families to practical support, including employment, education, health care, housing, legal assistance, and survivor services.
• Strengthen long-term safety by investing in prevention, treatment, and community leadership.