4 Takeaways From Mayor Adam's State Of The City Address

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Eric Adams in his latest State of the City address proposed a $650 million plan to tackle homelessness and support people experiencing severe mental illness, among other initiatives unveiled on Thursday.

The address delivered at The Apollo Theater in Harlem also touched on plans to create a "safer, more affordable city for working-class people, especially those raising a family, all across the five boroughs."

"We have to make sure that the greatest city in the world is also the greatest place to raise a family. From keeping young people safe to tackling street homelessness, from building more family-friendly neighborhoods to saving New Yorkers millions of dollars, the initiatives we lay out will make New York City the safest place to raise a family, the most affordable place to raise a family, and the best place to raise a family," Adams said.

Here are the big takeaways from Adams's 2025 state of the city address:

1. Homelessness/Mental Health

The new initiative proposed by Adams would call for an additional 900 “Safe Haven” beds across the city to house homeless people and help them secure permanent housing.

The total beds would rise to 4,900 with 100 beds being used for runaway and homeless individuals ages 21-24.

Adams also pledged to build and open a new support facility run by Health + Hospitals, which will offer psychiatric and substance abuse care for homeless mentally ill New Yorkers. The facility will also help them find housing.

2. Families

Similarly, Adams said the city will launch a new program to connect expecting parents who are in homeless shelters with permeant housing.

"We must stop the cycle of poverty and housing instability before it ever begins and ensure mothers and babies do not go to a shelter after leaving the hospital, he said.

"We are making a new commitment to our families: No child should ever be born into our shelter system."

3. Housing

Adams touted the 'City of Yes' housing plan, which would create up to 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years. The city plans to invest $5 billion in the project.

In addition, during the address, Adams said the city would build 800 units of housing alongside a new library on the Upper West Side and proposed building 100,000 new homes in Manhattan alone over the next decade.

4. City Parks, Green Space

Adams and city officials aim to add extra cleaning shifts to at least 100 parks, and said they would open more schoolyards to the public in underserved communities so more New Yorkers could be within "a 10-minute walk from a park."

“We are not just giving families more parks; we are giving them cleaner ones too. We will add an extra afternoon cleaning shift to 100 more hot spots in our parks throughout the city to make them even cleaner and safer for our children,” Adams said.