Scaling My File NYC
Project Background My File NYC is a document storage and sharing website created by the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYCO) to provide New York City residents with a safe and secure place to store their family’s vital documents and share them with City agencies. My File NYC has been piloting at the NYC Department […]
Connecting Families to Economic Supports
Project Background The vast majority of families that the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) and its nonprofit partners serve are struggling economically — and ACS is devising new methods for increasing their access to basic economic and concrete resources to support economic stability and boost economic mobility. In collaboration with Chapin Hall, […]
Reticketing for Asylum Seekers
Project Background New York City has provided compassionate care for more than 210,000 asylum seekers since 2022. The city, with a desire and obligation to provide shelter for newcomers, is experiencing severely strained resources as it attempts to house over 120,000 people in its shelter system. One option available to asylum-seekers is reticketing, a service that […]
Prevention Pathways
Project Background New York City offers free, voluntary services for families struggling with economic scarcity, parenting, mental health concerns, substance misuse, family conflict, and domestic violence. Year after year, families that participate in prevention services continue to have strong results–among families with the greatest level of need, children were far less likely to experience maltreatment […]
Rental Access for Unhoused Youth
Project Background Insecurely housed youth in New York City face significant challenges in finding housing. In 2021, only 4% of youth and young adults who exited runaway homeless programs moved into an apartment. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted existing support services and exacerbated systemic inequities in housing access among unhoused youth and young adults, especially for […]
Soul Care
Project Background Young people in foster care, who are primarily black and brown people of color, often experience complex trauma prior to entering foster care, while in care, and when transitioning out of care—yet many cannot access the type of culturally responsive, long-term mental health and wellness support they desire. Existing systems and providers often […]
Rental Assistance through People-Informed Design (RAPID)
Project Background The federal Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, commonly known as Section 8, is the nation’s largest tool for providing affordable housing. Under this program, families pay approximately 30% of their income toward rent, and the government pays the remainder of the rent directly to the property owner. While vouchers are in high demand, […]
Shelter from Harm Ph2: Survivors’ Stories
0 Staff and Survivors 0 + Findings Project Background When survivors of domestic violence seek support services in New York City, they are often asked to describe their past trauma multiple times as staff work to understand the case and assess eligibility. While frontline staff and caseworkers treat domestic-violence (DV) cases with care and sensitivity, […]
Building a Coalition for Social Justice
Reimagining the Library as a Digital Hub
