BLUEPRINT

Executive Summary
AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE GOVERNED BY THE SAME MAYOR,
New York City continues to grapple with large and complicated
social issues, significant budgetary concerns, and persistent
inequality among its diverse neighborhoods. New York City will
soon elect a new Mayor who faces big questions and important choices.
United Neighborhood Houses welcomes the opportunity to address some
of these issues by outlining a forward-thinking set of policies that will
strengthen our neighborhoods and move our city toward being a place
that truly meets the needs of residents from a variety of economic and
ethnic backgrounds.
Approximately 250 neighborhoods make up New York City – each distinct and
vibrant in its own way in a city with a broad range of income levels, ages, ethnicities,
and places of birth. As it slowly emerges from the Great Recession, New
York City continues to confront stubborn, if not deepening, inequality among its
residents and neighborhoods. Nearly half of New Yorkers were pushed into or
perilously close to poverty in 2011, a full two years after the official end of the
Recession – a troubling indicator of how much residents continue to struggle 1 .
New Yorkers, including many who are employed, have faced a multitude of challenges
as their incomes stagnated and the nation’s economy contracted.
The disparity is stark: New York City is home to both the nation’s wealthiest and
its poorest Congressional district, separated by only three miles 2 . While not far
apart, residents of these two locales can appear to live in different worlds: a baby
born on Manhattan’s Upper East Side (the nation’s wealthiest Congressional district
per capita) has a life expectancy a full four years higher than one born in the
South Bronx (the nation’s poorest Congressional district) 3 . This inequity determines
the level of opportunity available to residents and their ability to build a
productive future for themselves and their families.
For over a century, settlement houses have been an important stabilizing force
for individuals and families citywide. Their importance was thrown into high
relief by Hurricane Sandy, which brought unprecedented challenges to New York
City’s neighborhoods and reinforced the value of UNH member organizations as
anchor institutions in their communities. This critical role has only been accentuated
in these difficult economic times as settlement houses have seen increasing
demand for their programs while government funding for neighborhood services
has steadily declined. The disconnect between residents’ needs for comprehensive
neighborhood-based services and the shrinking funding available to meet these
needs is leaving residents, communities and the nonprofit sector as a whole in an
escalating crisis and the City in dire need of solutions.
New York City needs a new approach and a broader vision. If New York City is to
truly emerge from the Recession and thrive as an economic and cultural center, it
is critical that the next Administration implements policies and invests in programs
that support and enhance the opportunities available to all residents. As Federal
and State funding continues to decrease, City leaders must prioritize identifying
additional revenue through progressive tax structures in order to invest in communities
and the neighborhood-based organizations that sustain them.
It is a time for solutions, and for a plan. Informed by a series of community visioning
sessions conducted by United Neighborhood Houses in neighborhoods across
Blueprint for Neighborhoods 2013 2