The Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity311Search all NYC.gov websites
The Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity was created in 2017 by a merger of the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) and HHS-Connect, two offices that date back to 2006 and 2008, respectively. The two offices were created by then Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Linda Gibbs, and focus on fighting poverty and increasing access to social services. Both CEO and HHS-Connect achieved remarkable progress in their early years. NYC Opportunity has expanded upon this work and brought to bear greater resources and capacities to reducing poverty and increasing equity. The selection of projects highlighted here includes some of the most important achievements of that period, many of which live on in the work of NYC Opportunity.
2013
Center for Economic Opportunity
- CEO hosted a competition for the first-ever NYC Innovative Nonprofit Awards in support of local organizations exhibiting creativity and exemplary program implementation.
- CEO released an updated analysis of poverty in New York City from 2005-2011 using the CEO Poverty Measure.
- An independent analysis of the CEO-originated CUNY ASAP program found that the program generates taxpayer benefits while lowering per-student graduation costs.
- CEO launched pilot program Paycheck Plus to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income single workers without dependent children to increase employment and earnings.
- An independent evaluation of Family Rewards found a 12% increase in high school graduation rates for participating students, along with improved performance on Regents exams.
- The Jobs-Plus program expanded to all five boroughs through an $8 million annual investment, bringing employment, education, and work support services to 23 NYCHA developments.
- Legislation passed by the New York City Council institutionalized an annual report on poverty using the methodology of the CEO Poverty Measure.
HHS-Connect
2012
Center for Economic Opportunity
- CEO celebrated its 5th anniversary by bringing luminaries from across the country to New York City for a policy forum.
- Kristin Morse was appointed Executive Director of the Center for Economic Opportunity by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
- CEO’s CUNY ASAP program served as the template for CUNY’s recently launched New Community College.
- CEO issued a working paper on the CEO poverty measure from 2005-2010, continuing to sharpen the understanding of poverty in New York City.
- President Obama's Fiscal Year 2013 budget included $50 million for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to expand Jobs-Plus into public housing developments across the country
2011
Center for Economic Opportunity
- CEO won the Harvard University Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance Innovations in American Government Award.
- Mayor Bloomberg launched the $127 million Young Men’s Initiative, designed to remove barriers to success for young Black and Latino males, and builds on CEO programs.
- CEO released Replicating Our Results, a report that details CEO’s successful programs, provides an overview of the CEO poverty measure, describes ongoing efforts to replicate five of CEO’s most promising initiatives in New York City and cities across the country.
- CEO issued Policy Affects Poverty, a working paper on the CEO poverty measure from 2005-2009 which shows that policies designed to combat poverty actually have an effect on the poverty rate.
- CEO won the Citizens Budget Commission’s annual Prize for Public Service Innovation.
HHS-Connect
2010
Center for Economic Opportunity
- CEO, in partnership with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and MDRC, received a Social Innovation Fund award from the Corporation for National and Community Service to expand promising programs, including SaveUSA, Jobs-Plus, Family Rewards, Project Rise (youth education and employment program) and WorkAdvance (sector-focused career advancement workforce program).
- CUNY ASAP surpassed graduation targets, with more than half of ASAP students graduating in three years.
- Evidence & Impact was released, a report that highlights program impacts and CEO’s ongoing evaluation agenda.
- Workforce Innovations was released, comparing the outcomes for three CEO/SBS programs with traditional Workforce1 clients.
- MDRC released the first evaluation report on Opportunity NYC-Family Rewards, highlighting impacts for high school students and families.
- A second working paper on the CEO Poverty Measure was released, examining poverty in New York City from 2005-2008
- The U.S. Census Bureau announced plans to develop a Supplemental Poverty Measure, following in the steps of New York City
- New York City won the National League of Cities’ Municipal Excellence Award for the City’s Financial Empowerment Centers.
HHS-Connect
- HHS Connect recognized at Computerworld's 22nd Annual Laureate Medal & Gala Awards ceremony as an innovative application of technology.
- ACCESS NYC expands to incorporate applications for Medicaid renewals and two rent increase exemption programs.
- ACCESS NYC expands to incorporate applications for cash assistance for food ("food stamps" or SNAP).
- Worker Connect, an integrated portal that enables front-line workers of NYC agencies to improve services by providing an integrated view of information across HHS programs is launched.
- The early history of HHS Connect was chronicled by Governing magazine.
- Eleven agencies sign the Citywide Health and Human Services Inter-Agency Data Sharing Agreement, establishing protocols to share data while complying with all data security and privacy standards.
2009
Center for Economic Opportunity
- CEO and the Department of Small Business Services used Federal stimulus funds to scale-up CEO programs: Sector-Focused Career Centers and Advance at Work.
- Mayor Bloomberg and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced a $2 million grant to create jobs for CEO’s MillionTreesNYC Training Program participants.
- CEO released Early Achievements & Lessons Learned, a report that takes a look at the first two years of program planning and implementation. The first evaluation reports released were LPN Program, NYC Justice Corps, and Young Adult Internship Program.
HHS-Connect
2008
Center for Economic Opportunity
- CEO programs exceeded targets, including the Community Partners program, which placed more than 2,000 people into jobs in one year.
- The Office of Financial Empowerment led several new initiatives, including $aveNYC and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Coalition.
- CEO, MDRC, and The Rockefeller Foundation created the Conditional Cash Transfer Learning Network to share lessons learned from Opportunity NYC.
- CEO issued its first report on an alternative poverty measure, making New York City the first local government to implement an alternative to the outdated federal measure.
HHS-Connect
- HHS-Connect officially established by Mayor Michael Bloomberg via Executive Order 114.
- ACCESS NYC wins mulltiple technology awards.
- ACCESS NYC adds an online application to allows residents to check eligibility for the federal school lunch program.
- HHS Connect launches the Common Client Index (CCI) that enables client “matching” across agencies.
- HHS Connect produces a federated document management system to support case management across health and human services agencies.
2007
Center for Economic Opportunity
- Thirty-one programs were successfully implemented by CEO and partner agencies within a 12-month period.
- The first CUNY ASAP students started classes at the City’s six community colleges.
- CEO released its Strategy and Implementation Report, which provides an overview of the CEO approach and the details of each new program.
- Opportunity NYC, the nation’s first conditional cash transfer program, was launched.
HHS-Connect
- ACCESS NYC adds Workforce Development Services.
- ACCESS NYC wins Best of NYS Center for Digital Government Award for Project Demonstrating Best IT Collaboration Among Organizations.
- ACCESS NYC wins 2007 Citizens Budget Commission Prize for Public Service Excellence.
2006
Center for Economic Opportunity
- Mayor Bloomberg established the Commission for Economic Opportunity, chaired by Geoffrey Canada and Richard Parsons, to analyze the causes, scope, and consequences of poverty.
- The Commission for Economic Opportunity presented its findings to the Mayor, urging the City to focus on three populations: the Working Poor, Young Adults age 16-24, and Families with Children.
- Mayor Bloomberg established the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) under the leadership of Executive Director Veronica M. White.
- CEO and the Department of Consumer Affairs launched the first CEO initiative, the Office of Financial Empowerment.