Public Sector Capacity

Public Sector Operations 

The pandemic created severe economic strain on the city, increasing the need for essential services while reducing the revenue available to maintain service capacity. To protect the well-being of New Yorkers, the city used State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) funds for substantial portions of essentials work performed by 19 agencies.

Key operations included keeping the streets safe for the city's more than 8.8 million people through NYPD personnel; responding to over 1 million emergencies through the FDNY; and protecting public health in the school system by providing at least one nurse to each of the city's more than 1,800 schools through the Department of Education (DOE). State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) funds also helped meet demand for essential human services programs including housing initiatives, food assistance, support to youth and seniors, innovative criminal justice programs and more; these were carried out through nonprofit organizations contracted to Administration for Children's Services (ACS), Department for the Aging (DFTA), Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and others.

The city raised neighborhood quality of life in the immediate term without pausing critical long-term climate change initiatives; it restarted everyday litter basket collection service and increased service by more than 100 trucks per week, and continued large-scale resilience efforts such as remediation of the Gowanus Canal and development of the city's park and cycling infrastructure.