Antipoverty Initiatives

This chapter highlights the small improvement in the condition of New York City residents who lived in poverty during the Bloomberg administration. It cites the New York City Government Poverty Measure, 2005–2015, which notes that the citywide poverty rate fell to 19.9 percent from 20.6 percent in 2014 and the share of the population living at or near the poverty rate declined to 44.2 percent. It also reviews Mayor Michael Bloomberg's anti-poverty work, which focused on job creation, education, public health, justice, affordable housing, social services, and policies to help working families. The chapter focuses on Bloomberg's comprehensive strategy of increasing jobs, improving education, and building enough affordable housing to increase the number of people that would move out of poverty. It mentions Robert Doar and Verna Eggleston, HRA commissioners during Bloomberg's terms, who both endorsed work components first in any welfare program rather than training and education.