On April 26th, Mayor Adams released his $106.7 billion Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget proposal.

At the beginning of April, Mayor Adams advised all city agencies to implement an additional 4% Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) on top of the savings for FY23 and FY24 achieved in FY23 November Budget Modification and proposed in the FY24 Preliminary Budget. While the Mayor has since scaled back some of the PEG targets, the proposed Executive Budget includes $1.59 billion in savings across FY23 and FY24 ($541 million in FY23 and $1.05 billion in FY24). In total, when action taken in November and proposed in the FY24 Preliminary Budget are considered, there are $4.7 billion in city savings over two fiscal years ($1.7 billion in FY23 and $3 billion in FY24) from a combination of efficiencies, expense and revenue re-estimates, and debt service actions. Many of the deepest cuts occurred in the November budget modification, including reductions that (while partially offset by federal stimulus dollars) will stall the planned expansion of universal 3-K.  Of the $3 billion in savings identified for FY24 from the November budget modification and the proposed FY24 Preliminary and Executive Budgets, over $1.12 billion in city savings are attributed to actions impacting the Department of Education. Notably, every city agency has identified personnel services and benefits savings tied to staff vacancies.

CCC remains deeply concerned about the impact of staff vacancies across agencies that process essential public benefits and that contract with a wide array of health and human service providers serving community members across the city. We have already seen the effects of understaffing at HRA, which has resulted in families unable to access food stamps, cash assistance, or housing assistance timely. Families are at risk of losing their homes, facing longer lengths of stay in shelter, and hunger is rising because city agencies are understaffed and under-resourced. Furthermore, non-profit providers supporting community schools, afterschool and summer rising programming, and early care and education services, among others, are waiting multiple months for payment from the city for services already rendered. The escalating effects of proposed reductions in city staffing are impossible to overstate. The city’s focus should be on filling vacancies rather than eliminating them. Public benefits bring stability to households in need, and also enable households to spend in local communities on food, transportation, and housing, resulting in an economic benefit for the city at large. Similarly, timely non-profit payment would ensure non-profit businesses are not only able to meet community needs, but also stably employ a workforce that earns and spends locally.

The Executive Budget does include several positive investments, including $50 million in capital funding to redesign school cafeterias, the restoration of $3.3 million for DOE shelter-based community coordinators, $8.7 million to expand free broadband access in NYCHA developments, $1.6 million to expand free tax preparation, and $5.3 million to increase outreach for safety net benefits, among others. Despite these positive investments, we remain concerned to see so many crucial areas face reductions rather than investments. As the Administration and the City Council negotiate the budget, we urge them to prioritize addressing the needs of children and families, including by protecting and expanding investments in 3-K and infant toddler care; expanding and enhancing summer and afterschool programs for young people; increasing funding for anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs; enhancing behavioral health supports in schools and communities; preventing family homelessness; and addressing the immediate and long-term needs of families with children who enter and leave shelter. Lastly, we are disturbed by the Mayor’s rhetoric around asylum seekers. Our city leaders can address the additional costs of migrant needs without placing blame upon them. We believe it is essential that the city prioritizes the needs of all New Yorkers, including those newly arrived in our city seeking support, care, and compassion.

Summary of Actions Proposed in the NYC FY2024 Executive Budget

These budget proposals are in addition to those proposed in the Mayor’s FY24 Preliminary Budget.

You can find CCC’s analysis of the FY24 Preliminary Budget here.

The Executive Budget for FY 2024 Proposes to Add Funding for the Following Initiatives:

Mental Health

• $26.9 million in FY24 ($24.5 million in outyears) for the BHEARD Mental Health Response Program
• $910 million baselined to provide mental health services to children in shelter via telehealth
• $1.9 million baselined for maternal mental health through DOHMH
• $12 million in FY24 ($20.8 million in FY25, $22.8 million in FY26 and FY27) for Mental Health Plan Investments at DOHMH (includes funding for telemental health in schools, a Mental Health Digital Access Hub, and clubhouses)

Education

• $3.3 million restored in FY24 for Shelter-Based Community Coordinators
• $6.6 million in FY24 and FY25 ($1.1 million in outyears) for Culinary Training and Food Education in Schools
• $2.1 million baselined for Climate Education

Youth & Community Investments

• $1.0 million baselined to provide reentry services for women
• $884,000 baselined for the Young Women’s Initiative
• $186,000 baselined for the End Gender Based Violence Home+ Program
• $75,000 baselined for the Office of Neighborhood Safety
• $250,000 baselined for the Apprenticeship Accelerator Program
• $3.2 million baselined for the Arborist Apprenticeship Program

Food

• $200,000 baselined for the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy

Housing

• $1.3 million baselined to increase the number of attorneys and specialists at the NYC Commission on Human Right’s Source of Income Unit.
• $8.7 million in FY24 ($11 million in FY25) to expand free broadband access from 129 to 202 NYCHA developments through the Big Apple Connect program.

Economic Security

• $1.6 million baselined to expand the NYC Free Tax Preparation program to increase access to the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax benefits.
• $5.3 million in FY24 ($10.2 million in FY25 and $2.7 million in FY26) to increase outreach for cash assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, and other NYC benefits.
• $4.9 million baselined for CUNY Inclusive Economy Initiative programs, to increase job opportunities and secure internships.
• $19.3 million in FY24 ($6.2 million in FY25 and $5.8 million in FY26 and FY27) to increase MyCity Platform capabilities and enhance access to childcare, employment, business opportunities and public benefits.

The Executive Budget for FY 2024 Proposes to Reduce Funding for the Following Initiatives:

Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG)

In FY24, the Executive Budgett includes $1.05 billion in additional reductions across City Agencies through the Mayor’s Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG).

Below are the total amounts of PEGs in FY24 within key agencies and highlights of PEGS proposed. Notably, most PEGs also have outyear impacts.

• Department of Education: $325 million in FY24, including:
  • $306 million for fringe benefit costs due to personnel cost reductions.
  • $8.7 million for school safety agent accruals re-estimate.

• Administration for Children’s Services: $33 million in FY24, including:
  • $3.9 million for Close to Home Funding tied to the closure of sixteen beds in limited secure placements due to population re-estimates.
  • $7.1 million for OCFS Placement based on the decreased census of youth in placement.
  • $3.2 million for child welfare preventive services tied to under-utilization.
  • $1.7 million from Family Court services, due to lower than anticipated use of mental health and substance use services.
  • $7.1 million in savings by shifting special child care vouchers to CCDBG to maximize other sources of revenue.

• Department of Social Services: $38 million in FY24, including:
  • $8 million due to lower than planned expenditures of employment services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • $774,000 from Get Covered NYC communication and media campaign.
  • $8 million from less than anticipated spending for the Parks Opportunity employment program.
  • $3 million from funding to provide contract service providers with spending flexibility to attract and retain staff.

• Department of Homeless Services: $29 million in FY24, including:
  • $29 million from funding to provide contract service providers with spending flexibility to attract and retain staff

• Department of Youth and Community Development: $11 million in FY24 , including:
  • $9 million cut from youth workforce programs.

• Housing Preservation and Development: $14 million in FY24, including:
  • $5.18 million from supportive housing rental assistance programs, savings attributed to actual unit production trends.

• Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: $30 million in FY24.

The Executive Budget for FY 2024 Fails to Fund Key Initiatives:

Investments that the City Administration funded in the FY23 Adopted Budget for one year only.
Health

• $5.0 million in FY23 to implement a Mental Health Continuum.
• $10 million in FY23 for Groceries to Go.

Housing

• $118.5 million in FY23 for Rental Assistance.
• $1 million in FY23 for Emergency Housing Vouchers.
• $24 million in FY23 for HASA Housing.
• $1.0 million in FY23 for the Home Fix Program.

Education

• $10 million in FY23 for Child Care for Undocumented Families.
• $9.2 million in FY23 for Child Care Vouchers.
• $17.75 million in FY23 for Community Schools and Restoration.
• $4 million in FY23 to Extend Immigrant Family Engagement.

Safety and Youth Opportunity

• $14 million in FY23 for Benefits Access in the Department of Social Services.
• $60 million in FY23 for Foster Care Funding.
• $9.7 million in FY23 for Work Learn Grow and Year-Round Employment.
• $578,787 in FY23 for Family Justice Centers.
• $1 million in FY23 for recruitment for DOC.
• $11 million in FY23 for SYEP Metro cards.
• $2.99 million in FY23 for youth homelessness.
• $2.6 million in FY23 for the GreenThumb program.
• $4.1 million in FY23 for the Urban Park Rangers.
• $86,000 in FY23 for Financial Literacy for Vulnerable Youth.
• $54 million in FY23 for the Precision Employment Initiative.
• $409,500 in FY23 for the Gun Violence Prevention Team.
• $1.7 million in FY23 for the Hate Crimes Unit.
• $234,964 in FY23 for the Youth Diversion Adjustment.

The Executive Budget for FY 2024 Does Not Fund City Council’s FY 2023 Initiatives:

These are restorations and investments that were funded by the City Council in FY23 only.

Community Development

• $5.0 million for Asian-American Pacific Islander Community Support
• $7.5 million for Community Development Initiatives
• $3.7 million for Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund.
• $4.59 million for Digital Inclusion and Literacy Initiative.
• $5.225 million for LGBT Community Services
• $3.275 million for Trans Equity Programs.

Community Safety and Victim Services

• $5.1 million for Community Safety and Victim Services Initiative.

Criminal Justice Services/Juvenile Justice

• $14.487 million for Alternatives to Incarceration programs.
• $250,000 for Discharge Planning.
• $2.525 million for Diversion Programs.
• $4.21 million for the Initiative to Combat Sexual Assault, which includes child advocacy centers.
• $2.638 million for Innovative Criminal Justice Programs.
• $1.2 million for Support for Victims of Human Trafficking.
• $4.435 million for Support for Persons Involved in the Sex Trade.

Domestic Violence

• $11.5 million for Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative.
• $2.45 million for Supportive Alternatives to Violent Encounters (SAVE), which includes $600,000 for Project CONNECT at ACS.

Early Childhood Education

• $5.45 million for the City’s First Readers Initiative
• $600,000 for CUNY Child Care Expansion.

Education

• $1.74 million for College and Career Readiness
• $3.75 million for Community Schools.
• $7.143 million for Educational Programs for Students, which includes programs such as Chess in the Schools, and the Middle School Quality Initiative
• $10 million for the Education Equity Action Plan to support the creation of a K-12 Black Studies curriculum
• $500,000 for the Jill Chaifetz Helpline operated by Advocates for Children.
• $2.8 million for LGBTQ Inclusive Curriculum.
• $1.175 million for Physical Education and Fitness
• $1.917 million for Social and Emotional Supports for Students, including $777,000 for the Child Mind Institute
• $4.4 million for Support for Educators, which funds professional development, training, and mentorship for teachers.
• $2 million for Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists.
• $3 million for Support for Arts Instruction.

Environmental Initiatives

• $5.1 million for A Greener NYC.
• $14.2 million for NYC Cleanup

Economic Security

• $2.8 million for the Anti-Poverty Initiative.

Food Initiatives

• $7.630 million in FY22 for food pantries
• $2.134 million for Access to Healthy Food and Nutritional Education, which funds farmers markets, urban farms, community gardens, and programs to expand the use of SNAP benefits.
• $1.5 million for the Food Access and Benefits Initiative (HRA).

Health Services

• $3.699 million for Access Health NYC ($300,821 reduction over FY22).
• $664,719 for Child Health and Wellness, which includes programs such as obesity prevention, asthma programs and oral health services
• $3.728 million for the Maternal and Child Health Services initiative
• $1.014 for the Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program
• $554,423 for Reproductive and Sexual Health Services

Homeless and Housing Services

• $1.35 million for Children and Families in the NYC Homeless System.
• $820,000 for the Citywide Homeless Prevention Fund.
• $3.65 million for Community Housing Preservation Strategies.
• $1.5 million for the Community Land Trust.
• $450,000 for Financial Empowerment for NYC’s Renters.
• $4.25 million for the Foreclosure Prevention Program.
• $2 million for the Home Loan Program.
• $650,000 for Housing Court Answers.
• $300,000 for the Housing Information Project.
• $0 for Lien Sale Outreach and Assistance
• $3.75 million for Stabilizing NYC, a citywide coalition to prevent the loss of affordable housing.

Immigrant Services

• $17.350 million for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project
• $3.982 million for the Unaccompanied Minors and Families Initiative.
• $2.4 million for Immigrant Health Initiative.
• $2.6 million for Immigrant Opportunities Initiative.
• Cut $700,000 for Key to the City.

Legal Services

• $3.0 million for Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support.
• $485,000 for Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT).
• $5.8 million for Legal Services for Low-income New Yorkers, which includes citywide legal services and the SSI advocacy project.
• $3.205 million for Legal Services for the Working Poor.

Mental Health Services

• $3.316 million for the Autism Awareness Initiative
• $1.787 million for the Children Under 5 Initiative, which funds community-based mental health services for children under 5
• $3.425 million for the Court-Involved Youth Mental Health Initiative
• $2.255 million for Developmental, Psychological and Behavioral Health Services.
• $1.2 million for the LGBTQ Youth All-Borough Mental Health Initiative.
• $3.933 million for Mental Health Services for Vulnerable Populations, which included the Samaritans Suicide Prevention hotline
• $3.5 million for Opioid Prevention and Treatment.

Parks and Recreation

• $5.1 million for Parks Equity Initiative.

Young Women’s Initiative

• $973,126 for a Dedicated Contraceptive Fund
• $250,000 for HRA Teen RAPP Enhancement.
• $530,000 for an Initiative for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence.
• $350,000 for the Prevent Sexual Assault (PSA) Initiative for Young Adults.
• $174,000 for Step in and Stop it Initiative to Address Bystander Intervention.
• $714,500 for Work-Based Learning Internships.
• $1.23 million for Wrap-Around Supports for Transitional-Aged Foster Youth.
• $1.806 million for Young Women’s Leadership Development.

Youth Services

• $8.3 million for the Afterschool Enrichment Initiative
• $1.2 million for Big Brothers and Big Sister of New York City.
• $500,000 for Civic Education in New York City Schools
• $1.87 million for COMPASS elementary after-school programs.
• $1.472 million for Sports Training and Role Models for Success Initiative (STARS).
• $2.1 million for Youth Build Project Initiative.
• $17.34 million for Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA).
• $1 million for Citywide Young Adult Entrepreneurship Program Initiative.