New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to help mentally ill and homeless New Yorkers and pledged to build a more family-friendly city during his State of the City address.
The mayor pledged $650 million to tackle street homelessness during his hour-long speech, which occurred at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Adams said he will build more than 900 safe haven beds to house homeless New Yorkers and transition them to permanent housing. Without disclosing the location, the mayor said he will build a special facility that will only house seriously mentally ill individuals.
The promise comes after a string of high-profile subway crimes this year, including a man setting a woman on fire at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue F station in Brooklyn.
"We can't just walk past them and act like they can take care of themselves when they can't," the mayor said. "We know that too many New Yorkers cycle between the hospital and homelessness."
He thanked Governor Kathy Hochul and other leaders that are trying to pass the Supportive Intervention Act at the state level, which would give certain city agencies more power to involuntarily hospitalize New Yorkers in crisis.
"There's no denying that New Yorkers are anxious about the future," he said.
The mayor also pledged to keep families and children out of homeless shelters by connecting soon-to-be-parents to city services before their child is born so that they are placed into housing. "You should not have to worry about where you and your baby will sleep after leaving the hospital. You should not have to worry about whether your child will grow up on the verge of homelessness," Adams said.
To make the city an easier place to raise a family, the mayor said he will push to add about 8,000 additional multi-generational housing units and more homes near schools, libraries and grocery stores. Dubbed the "City of Yes for Families," the plan will also include city services for first time home buyers to boost their credit scores and obtain mortgages.
He also said he will build more than 100,000 residential units in Manhattan alone, without adding any detail on where or how he would accomplish this.
The mayor said he was proud that city lawmakers passed the "City of Yes" housing plan, which will build 80,000 new homes across the five boroughs and provide $5 billion for infrastrucutre upgrades.
Additionally, the mayor said he is committed to teaching financial literacy to younger New Yorkers by placing a financial educator in every single school district to provide workshops and counseling services. The mayor said he plans to open 15 bank branches in city schools to give students easy access to opening up bank accounts, and learn about saving and investments.
"You want to get your baby off your couch in his own apartment? Tell him how to manage his money," the mayor said.
Adams also outlined a plan to eliminate income taxes for working class families making 150% or less of the federal poverty line.
"It's time to get rid of city income taxes for a single mother making $31,000, a family of four making $46,000, and other New Yorkers making do with less. It's very clear. Time to axe the tax," he said.
Adams noted a new program to help public servants enroll in the federal government's Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which will help wipe out nearly $360 million in student loan debt for 100,000 city employees and family members who qualify.
He also introduced a Neighborhood Internet program, a partnership with the New York Public Library, where there will be free internet to 2,000 Section 8 and other low-income homes in upper Manhattan and the Bronx.
The mayor also said he will be opening up more schoolyards in underserved communities and neighborhoods for use during the summer, after school and on weekends so more New Yorkers have access to the outdoors closer to home. Starting this year, the city will add an extra afternoon cleaning shift to 100 more hot spots in various parks, he added.
Adams thanked his commissioners and deputy mayors who stuck by him to run the city even after he was indicted by federal officials for fraud and bribery.
"The hardest job in politics is working for Eric Adams," he said.
