Mayor Adams Launches Two Signature Programs to Make Life More Affordable for New Mothers and Families, Avoid Shelter and Poverty

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park today announced details of a new initiative that aims to break the cycle of infant homelessness in New York City by delivering support to pregnant New Yorkers. Officially launched on September 15, 2025, the pilot program, “Creating Real Impact at Birth” (CRIB), is an innovative DSS program that will connect and prioritize pregnant New Yorkers applying for shelter with housing vouchers to put them on a path toward permanent housing and stability. First announced in Mayor Adams’ 2025 State of the City address earlier this year, today’s announcement — seeded with an investment of $8.5 million — is a key plank of the Adams administration’s ongoing commitment to making New York City a safer, more affordable city that is the best place to raise a family. 

Additionally, Mayor Adams and NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz today celebrated the launch of “NYC Baby Boxes,” a new program to welcome the newest New Yorkers and support New York City families by reducing early financial stress for new parents. Families of newborns at four NYC Health + Hospital locations will be provided with boxes that contain a collection of postpartum and newborn supplies, including diapers and wipes, clothing, games, and several resource guides on what to expect after giving birth.  

“Put simply: No child should ever be born in a shelter. We must do everything we can to stop the cycle of poverty and housing instability before it ever begins by ensuring mothers and babies do not go to a shelter after leaving the hospital and that they have the resources they need to thrive,” said Mayor Adams. “The ‘CRIB’ program is yet another example of how our administration is cutting the bureaucracy that often prevents people from getting the government services they need while also making New York City more affordable for needy families. We are proud to be launching this program, and also delivering ‘NYC Baby Boxes’ to approximately 7,000 families across our public hospital system. These interventions will help our most vulnerable New Yorkers find the affordable housing they need to live stable, thriving lives and further our mission of making our city the best place to raise a family.”  

“‘CRIB’ is an important and groundbreaking program that will allow pregnant New Yorkers to raise their child in the comfort of a stable home,” said DSS Commissioner Wasow Park. “As a proud mother, I am so excited for this new initiative and the lifeline that will be extended to people experiencing homelessness who will be connected to permanent housing at this profound milestone in their lives. Project CRIB is an important component of the work this administration is doing to support programs and create services that eliminate barriers and moves our most vulnerable neighbors from shelter to housing.” 

“Bringing home a child from the hospital is a beautiful, exciting time for any family, but it is not without challenges,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Katz, MD. “The ‘NYC Baby Boxes’ will help families have the information and tools to care for mother and child in those early days after giving birth. We are enormously grateful to Mayor Adams, Welcome Baby, and the United Way of New York City for their efforts to support over 7,000 families each year with this initiative.”  

CRIB Program

Through the pilot program, DSS will identify more than 300 pregnant New Yorkers who are applying for shelter and assign them to a housing subsidy that will allow them to more quickly move into stable homes before their children are born. The program is funded through an $8.5 million investment in DSS’ Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. The pilot is projected to last at least 15 months, with the first three months focused on enrollment.  

In Fiscal Year 2024, over 2,000 babies were born in New York City shelters, a development that can lead to adverse outcomes. Babies born into homelessness more often are associated with low birthweight, asthma, and more frequent visits to an emergency room. Diverting pregnant people from shelter can reduce the shelter census and improve outcomes for families. 

DSS’ Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake center in the Bronx will identify pregnant clients applying for shelter with a gross income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level or who are receiving cash assistance, among other factors. A New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS)-contracted licensed health clinic onsite at the intake center performs rapid pregnancy tests if needed.  

Once eligible households have been identified, participants will immediately be assigned to a housing support path — either the rental assistance supplement City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) or Pathway Home. CityFHEPS is the largest city-funded rental assistance program in the nation and allows individuals and families to rent apartments at competitive market-rate rents based on the federal Section 8 payment standards. Pathway Home is a program that enables families and individuals to quickly move out of shelter by moving in with friends or family members and provides monthly payments to host families for up to 12 months. 

The Adams administration’s investment in CityFHEPS and focus on moving New Yorkers out of shelter to permanent housing has led to record-breaking progress and helped more than 37,500 individuals move out of shelter and into subsidized, permanent housing using rental subsidies in Fiscal Year 2025 — a 28 percent increase in the number of placements from the previous year. Overall, more than 60,000 households, comprising 136,000 New Yorkers, are using CityFHEPS for their housing — reflecting a more than 200 percent growth in the program since its launch and making CityFHEPS the second largest rental subsidy program in the nation. CRIB is part of Mayor Adams’ $650 million investment to curb homelessness and severe mental illness, first announced in Mayor Adams’ 2025 State of the City address, and builds on the administration’s commitment to making New York City the best place to raise a family.  

NYC Baby Boxes

The boxes contain a collection of postpartum and newborn supplies, including diapers and wipes, a “NYC Loves Me” onesie and cap, footie pajamas, a baby carrier, a baby thermometer, baby nail clippers, a nasal aspirator, burp cloths, baby shampoo, diaper rash cream, a Goodnight Moon board book, postpartum pads, nipple cream, and a New York City baby-themed diaper bag.  

Additionally, the box includes a “Mother and New Baby Health Guide” with helpful information about what to expect after childbirth and when to contact a doctor. A “NYC New Family Resource Guide” will be handed out with the baby box, which includes information on city and community-based maternal and baby health supports.  

Launching later this month, NYC Baby Boxes will be distributed to the families of every baby born at four public hospitals:  

• NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, Bronx  
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, Bronx 
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, Brooklyn 
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, Queens 

Across these four hospitals, more than 7,000 babies are delivered each year. The NYC Baby Box is a collaboration between Mayor Adams’ office, NYC Health + Hospitals, Welcome Baby USA, and the United Way of New York City.

A sample “NYC Baby Box.” Courtesy: NYC Health + Hospitals.

The Adams administration launched NYC Baby Boxes to address the new and increased expenses that come with a new baby, coupled with the stresses that accompany many parents’ reduced income due to postpartum recovery and family leave. Households with children have a greater risk of struggling to meet their basic needs, and existing benefits available for families — like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — do not cover all of the new baby expenses, such as diapers. In a national survey, nearly half of families reported struggling to afford diapers and more than a quarter said they skipped meals in order to pay for diapers.  

Today’s announcement, once again, builds on the Adams administration’s commitment to making New York City the best place to raise a family. Mayor Adams recently announced a $7 million expansion of the “Fatherhood Initiative,” which helps fathers reconnect with their children, provide financial support, and develop parenting skills. 

Additionally, the Adams administration has taken steps to make life more affordable for working-class families by dramatically increasing early childhood education and building sustainable programs so that demand matches supply. Under the Adams administration, a record 150,000 children are enrolled across the early childhood education system today, the out-of-pocket costs of child care subsidies have been reduced from $55 per week in 2022 to $5 per week today, and an early childhood seat was offered to every child who applied for 3-K on time — the first time this has ever been done in the city’s history. The administration also invested $514 million to protect programs that were previously only temporarily funded with federal stimulus dollars.

Finally, last year, Mayor Adams and leadership of the New York City Council announced a historic joint effort to strengthen early childhood education across the five boroughs and address longstanding systemic issues, while boosting enrollment and connecting families with more pre-K and 3-K seats. The strategic plan — developed by an unprecedented joint Adams administration-Council working group, chaired by Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams — is anchored by $100 million in new city investments allocated in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Adopted Budget to implement an action-oriented roadmap for outreach and seat allocation across the city. With the new $100 million investment, the total investment in the FY25 city budget for early childhood education is $3 billion. 

As part of his third State of the City address, Mayor Adams unveiled “Women Forward NYC: An Action Plan for Gender Equity,” a more than $43 million investment aimed at making New York City a national leader on gender equity, with the ambitious goal of becoming the most women-forward city in the United States. In the first year of programming, all of the 43 commitments in the action plan were launched or completed, serving over 300,000 New Yorkers. And since the initial launch, the Adams administration has made major progress in making New York City a national leader on gender equity, including for transgender and gender expansive New Yorkers.  

“This program marks a crucial step in improving health outcomes for pregnant New Yorkers experiencing housing instability,” said DHS Administrator Joslyn Carter. “Every expecting parent deserves the security of a safe, stable environment to nurture their newborn, and every family deserves a home. No one should have to face the stress of uncertainty during pregnancy. By addressing this urgent need, we are advancing maternal and infant well-being, easing hardship, and instilling hope during this transformative time.” 

“The postpartum period is one of the most vulnerable times in a parent and newborn’s lives – a time for healing, bonding, and beginning their journey together. For families struggling to make ends meet, the lack of basic necessities can quickly turn joy into crushing stress,” said Sarah Gould Steinhardt, executive director, Welcome Baby USA. “Welcome Baby is fixing one aspect of the urgent crisis facing families by providing the most basic necessities every newborn and new parent should have access to. Partnering with Mayor Adams and NYC Health + Hospitals means more than 7,000 New York City families will now leave the hospital with what they need for their child’s first month of life.” 

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