Mayor Adams’ Third Year in Office Marked by Safer Streets and Subways, Record Amounts of Jobs, Small Businesses, Housing Construction
Our Bureau
New York, NY
As he concludes his third year in office, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, senior City Hall officials, and commissioners from agencies across city government today released a list of key wins delivered to New Yorkers throughout 2024 and over the course of the last three years, showcasing once again how the Adams administration is continuing to create a safer, more affordable New York City for all.
“From day one, our administration has focused on creating a safer, more affordable New York City. In 2024, we continued to deliver on that vision and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for working-class New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “Thanks to our extraordinary public servants, America’s safest big city got even safer this year, with overall crime down and thousands of illegal guns, mopeds, and ghost cars taken off city streets. We passed historic legislation to turn New York into a ‘City of Yes,’ shattered affordable housing records once again, and put billions of dollars back into New Yorkers’ pockets. We broke records for the most jobs and small businesses in city history and moved millions of trash bags off our sidewalks and into containers. But we know that there is even more we can do to continue to uplift working-class families. As we look to the future, our administration remains committed to keeping New Yorkers safe and making our city more affordable for the millions of New Yorkers who call our city home.”
According to a statement from the mayor’s office, following are the highlights from the third year of the Adams administration:
Making America’s Safest Big City Even Safer: Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, overall crime continued to fall in 2024, including a 7.3 percent drop in homicides and a 6.8 drop in shootings year to date. The New York City Police Department seized more than 6,000 illegal guns in 2024, bringing the total number of firearms taken off city streets since the start of the Adams administration to more than 19,600.
Strengthening Quality of Life by Shutting Down Illegal Cannabis Shops, Seizing Illegal Vehicles: After securing the authority from Albany to shut down illegal cannabis and smoke shops in New York City, the Adams administration launched “Padlock to Protect,” closed more than 1,300 illegal smoke shops, and seized over $87 million in illegal product.
Creating Safer Streets: To keep New Yorkers safe on roadways and sidewalks, the Adams administration upgraded 2,000 intersections in 2024 with improved traffic signals, raised crosswalks, and instituted other pedestrian safety measures.
Turning New York Into a “City of Yes”: In 2024, the Adams administration passed the final two proposals, bringing long-overdue change to New York City’s zoning code. “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” — the most pro-housing zoning change in city history — will create up to 80,000 new homes and invest $5 billion in housing and infrastructure while “City of Yes for Economic Opportunity” supports small business and entrepreneurs.
Shattering Affordable Housing Records, Again: In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the Adams administration financed nearly 29,000 affordable homes and public housing units, constructed a record 14,700 new homes, and connected a record number of New Yorkers to affordable housing units through CityFHEPS and the city’s housing lottery.
Keeping New Yorkers in Their Homes: This year, the Adams administration launched the first Tenant Protection Cabinet to enhance cross-agency collaboration and secured the largest housing discrimination settlement in city history, imposing $1 million in civil penalties and securing 850 apartment units for voucher holders.
Putting Public Housing First: The Adams administration continued to prioritize the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), unlocking $1.35 billion in capital repairs for nearly 7,600 residents through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together program in FY24.
Supporting New Yorkers Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness: Under the Adams administration, New York City has made significant progress getting homeless New Yorkers the help and housing they need.
Putting Money Back in Your Pockets: Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, New York City’s Financial Empowerment Centers have helped more than 25,000 New Yorkers reduce their debt by over $37.5 million, and Mayor Adams announced plans to relieve over $2 billion in medical debt for up to 500,000 New Yorkers.
Lowering Taxes, Raising Families: New York City’s year-round free tax prep services have already saved New Yorkers more than $220 million since the start of the Adams administration while the “NYC Earned Income Tax Credit”.
Wages That Work for Working People: To increase pay and benefits for New York City’s public servants, the Adams administration has reached contracts with 100 percent of New York City’s uniformed workforce and, this year, increased the percentage of municipal employees with contracts to 97 percent of the city’s total workforce.
Breaking the Jobs Records, Again and Again: In 2024, the Adams administration broke records for the most jobs in city history and connected nearly 8,500 job seekers to employment, free training, and workforce development through its “JobsNYC” initiative. The Adams administration also unveiled the Green Economy Action Plan.
