Applause, Skepticism Greet Mayor de Blasio’s Anti-Poverty Plan
New York City aims to lift 800,000 people out of poverty’s clutches within a decade under a program that has drawn applause for its ambition and skepticism about its feasibility.
Mayor Bill de Blasio put the nation’s largest municipal anti-poverty plan at the center of his revamped OneNYC program, a blueprint for making New York more equitable. The administration on Thursday outlined the goal of pulling nearly 10 percent of New Yorkers out of poverty through a potpourri of proposals.
More than 45 percent of New Yorkers live at or near the poverty line, which is defined by the Center for Economic Opportunity as $31,156 for a family of four in 2013.
About 100,000 people are expected to be lifted above the poverty line thanks to a series of administration efforts enacted since de Blasio took office in January 2014, according to City Hall’s calculation models. Among those plans: preparing workers for higher-paying jobs and an expanded pre-K program estimated to save parents $10,000 a year in child care costs.
The city also already announced a massive affordable housing program — de Blasio pledged to create or preserve 200,000 units by 2024 — that would create construction jobs and tamp down housing costs.
Other programs have more of a tangential link to the anti-poverty plan. For instance, a new municipal ID card that aides say, among other benefits, allows access to libraries where job research can be conducted. De Blasio also has signaled a hope to cut the average New Yorker’s commute time to 45 minutes.
But many of those concepts — including a commission to study an extremely expensive new subway link in central Brooklyn — have not yet reached the drawing board. De Blasio said they would be addressed in next month’s budget presentation.
The biggest weapon in the anti-poverty arsenal would be a minimum wage increase. But that was shelved on Monday by the Assembly.
But de Blasio administration officials expressed confidence in meeting their goal.
“Look, I don’t blame anyone that’s cynical,” the mayor said. “I represent 8.5 million jaded people.”
This article appeared in print on page 24 of edition of Hamodia.
To Read The Full Story
Are you already a subscriber?
Click "Sign In" to log in!
Become a Web Subscriber
Click “Subscribe” below to begin the process of becoming a new subscriber.
Become a Print + Web Subscriber
Click “Subscribe” below to begin the process of becoming a new subscriber.
Renew Print + Web Subscription
Click “Renew Subscription” below to begin the process of renewing your subscription.