Page 14 - The Indian EYE 020924

COMMUNITY OP-ED FEBRUARY 09, 2024 | The Indian Eye 14

The State of Our City:

You Can Make It Here

affordable. Chief among our priori-
ties here is to ensure that people are
not priced out of their homes. That
is why our administration is advanc-
ing a powerful agenda both to build
more housing and keep people in
the homes they already have.
This year, we will build on our
past success with our ‘24 in 24’ ini-
tiative, advancing 24 housing proj-
ects on public sites to create or
preserve over 12,000 units. We will
also expand our Homeowner Help
Desk, which provides counseling
and resources to keep people in their
homes, to the entire city. We are go-
ERIC ADAMS ing to be a city of yes when it comes
to housing: “yes” in my backyard,
ast week, in the Bronx, the We drove down the cost of child care for working parents, increased public school enrollment, “yes” on my block, and “yes” in my
borough where hip hop was neighborhood.
Lborn, I reported to New York- boosted test scores, and revolutionized reading in our classrooms (File photo) COVID taught us that people
ers on the state of our city. When our don’t just want public spaces — but
administration came into office 24 ing in our classrooms. hazard, just as past U.S. surgeons that public spaces are essential. We
months ago, we had a clear mission: We made our streets cleaner and general have done with tobacco and are going to continue reimagining
protect public safety, rebuild our greener with more parks and less firearms. We cannot stand by and the urban experience for all New
economy, and make this city more garbage bags and rats. And we did all let big tech monetize our children’s Yorkers, including a complete make-
livable for New Yorkers. of this while marshaling our entire privacy and jeopardize their mental over of Kimlau Plaza in Chinatown.
Two years in, we are seeing real city government to respond to the health. And we are going to build and refur-
results. Crime is down, jobs are up, asylum seeker humanitarian crisis. The future of our economy is bish four major public skate parks in
and every day we are delivering for The last two years have been green, and that’s why we announced the Bronx and Brooklyn.
the hard-working people of New about resetting and renewal. Now, it the “Harbor of the Future” — our Additionally, we must make sure
York. We took 14,000 illegal guns off is time to make the future together. plan to create 53,000 temporary and that all New Yorkers can share in our
our streets and drove down shoot- That starts with public safety. permanent jobs, generate $95 billion city’s success. Last week, we released
ings and homicides by double digits, While New Yorkers welcome the fu- in economic impact, and establish a more than $40 million action plan
while getting millions of people back ture of transit, we cannot have mo- New York City as the global desti- — “Women Forward NYC” — to
on our subways. peds speeding down our sidewalks nation for green technology, innova- connect more women to job oppor-
We created 270,000 private-sec- or dangerous lithium-ion batteries tion, and opportunity. tunities, dismantle barriers to health
tor jobs and set a first-of-its-kind burning down our buildings. Our administration has already care, reduce violence against women,
minimum wage for deliveristas, as We are going to work with the advanced projects from the Bronx to and so much more.
we worked with our brothers and sis- City Council to create the “Depart- Brooklyn to Manhattan and Staten We also announced the cancella-
ters in labor to get them the pay and ment of Sustainable Delivery” — a Island that will drive research and tion of over $2 billion in medical debt
the benefits they deserve. first-in-the-nation entity that will innovation in emerging fields. This for up to half a million working-class
We unlocked billions of dollars regulate new forms of delivery tran- year, we will add a new stop along New Yorkers, a life-changing policy
for public housing through the NY- sit and ensure the safety of drivers, the Harbor of the Future with a $100 that will keep money in New Yorkers’
CHA Preservation Trust, and broke delivery workers, and pedestrians. million Climate Innovation Hub at pockets.
affordable housing records — fi- And while we are doing ev- the Brooklyn Army Terminal. This Thanks to these investments,
nancing the most affordable homes erything in our power to keep our hub will bring business development, and the dedication of our public
in city history and connecting more streets safe, we all know there’s a incubation, and research to Sunset servants and millions of hardwork-
New Yorkers to affordable homes secret weapon inside our bedrooms, Park as we invest in clean tech inno- ing people across the five boroughs,
than any other year. kitchens, and on our living room so- vation and manufacturing. New York City will remain a place
We drove down the cost of child fas. We are protecting our children And while we’re rebuilding our where anyone can make it. Without
care for working parents, increased from online harm by becoming the economy, we must also make sure a doubt, the state of our city is strong.
public school enrollment, boosted first major American city to desig- New York remains a livable city Eric Adams is the Mayor of
test scores, and revolutionized read- nate social media as a public health that is cleaner, greener, and more New York City, NY

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