New York City and the Federal Recovery Act
New York City continues to benefit from funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). ARRA grants support innovative programs and projects that are strengthening our economy while providing jobs, budget relief, and long-term investments. This newsletter provides a snapshot of how New York City is utilizing ARRA dollars. Through December 31, 2011, New York City has put over $7.3 billion in ARRA funding to work. Read on for more about the latest developments and enhancements.
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Our City's award-winning Stimulus Tracker website continues to set the standard for transparency with complete, accurate data about expenditures. Meanwhile, we have continued to add new content to our City's ARRA Tumblr as a complement to the City's website.
Since we launched the site in September 2011, there are now a total of 47 posts, including the one pictured here featuring a new sweeping tobacco-free campus policy passed by the City University of New York. Thanks to ARRA funding, this policy will impact the health of more than 500,000 students and nearly 40,000 faculty and staff. Check out the site to see the many diverse ways that ARRA money has made a difference across all five boroughs.
Visit the ARRA Tumblr on a weekly basis
GATB Survey
The Government Accountability and Transparency Board (GATB) was formed in June 2011 by Presidential Executive Order. The GATB was charged with developing strategic direction to improve federal spending transparency and accountability. New York City conducted a survey among several large cities across the nation in order to help inform the GATB deliberations and final report to the President in December 2011. The summary of findings was officially shared with members of U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, and the White House. Federal officials are looking at how to apply aspects of the ARRA model to all federal financial assistance.
Read the GATB Survey-Summary of Findings (in PDF).
AABPA Fall 2011 Symposium
Michelle Light, Chief Recovery Officer for New York City, addressed federal, state, and local government budget professionals as well as experts from the private sector and academia at the American Association for Budget and Program Analysis (AABPA) Fall 2011 Symposium. The panel was focused on the future of transparency. Other panelists included: Jeffrey Simon, Director of Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office; Gaurav "GP" Pal, Program Manager and Director of Smartronix; and Chris Jennings, Director of Federal Fiscal Policy at OMB Watch.
View the AABPA Presentation (in PDF).
New Stimulus at Work Stories
The Stimulus at Work section of the City's Stimulus Tracker website helps tell the story of how individuals benefit from ARRA projects and programs. We added eight new profiles. Visit this section to read about 45 New Yorkers, like Joseph Yu, the Valentin Family, and Chad Eberle.
Joseph Yu
Joseph Yu is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). But he did not start in this position. Before making the decision to train as an EMT, Joseph worked at a publishing company. When 75 percent of its work was outsourced overseas during the recession, Joseph's livelihood was suddenly in jeopardy. Joseph took a leap of faith. He sought out the ARRA-funded EMT training program and became a certified FDNY EMT. He has happily worked in this postiion for the past two years. For the first time, Joseph feels he has the opportunity for advancement in a rewarding career.
Valentin Family
Angelo and Meyra Valentin live in Queens with their 13 year-old daughter, Susana. The family experienced the negative impact of the economic slowdown first-hand. Angelo's hours at work were sharply reduced, while Meyra lost her job. Due to this decreased income, the family fell behind in rent, received shut-off notices for their utilities, and faced potential eviction. Thanks to the City's Homebase Program, which helps New Yorkers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, the family received assistance. Meyra secured a new job, and they got help with their rent arrears as well as their utility debt. The family is hopeful about the future.
Chad Eberle
Chad Eberle is a longtime New Yorker who had worked in the construction industry for eight years. Thanks to an ARRA-funded project, Chad is now proud to help rehabilitate the bus terminal ramps at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, where he was hired as a Superintendent. This position allowed Chad the opportunity to step into a managerial role. Thanks to the pay increase, he was also able to purchase his first home. Chad notes that local construction projects bring much-needed revenue into the neighborhood. He looks forward to further building his construction skills.
To browse these inspirational stories and others, visit the Stimulus at Work page .
Making the Deadline
In accordance with the federally-mandated reporting deadline for ARRA, New York City submitted its tenth round of data by January 14, 2012. The January reporting period covered the fourth quarter of calendar year 2011, which began on October 1, 2011 and closed on December 31, 2011. New York City reported on 57 separate funding awards to state and federal oversight agencies. 1
New Awards
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Competitive ($21.40 Million)
The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services will use this award to enter the energy efficiency retrofit industry and provide a range of innovative financing products at an attractive cost to borrowers. To help towards this end, the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation (NYCEEC) was created by the City in collaboration with the Center for Market Innovation and Deutsche Bank. NYCEEC will use ARRA funding to administer and create a loan fund. As the initial loans are repaid, the fund will be replenished, enabling additional building owners to finance other energy efficiency retrofits. The investments will generate jobs, reduce energy use, and decrease carbon emissions. The City is also supporting this effort with $16.1 million from another ARRA grant, bringing the total to $37.5 million in seed money from the stimulus package.
Getting Results
ARRA-funded projects and programs are taking place in every borough of the City. As grant funds are spent and initiatives are completed, here are some of the successful outcomes and milestones achieved:
Early Intervention Program ($3.36 Million)
The Early Intervention Program offers a variety of therapeutic and support services to eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. With ARRA funding, the NYC Department of Health and Human Hygiene (DOHMH) successfully transitioned to the new centralized, Web-based system required by the New York State to manage administration and information for the program. In addition to funding technical support, ARRA monies were used to train approximately 1,000 DOHMH Early Intervention staff and Early Intervention service providers. ARRA funds also supported implementation of the Learning Collaborative, a professional development series that reached more than 600 service coordinators and interventionists working with families in the Early Intervention Program.
Visit the Health and Social Support Summary Page
Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program - Enhancing Forensic and Crime Scene Investigation ($0.99 Million)
The NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner used ARRA funds to support five Criminalists in the Department of Forensic Biology's Homicide and Sex Crimes unit. In 2011 alone, this unit received 3,455 requests for DNA testing and issued 3,680 reports. The work involved examination of over 15,000 items of evidence in criminal cases. This level of productivity would not have been possible without these staff positions. The Crime Scene Investigation team supervisor worked on 58 cases and was able to reduce the existing backlog of technical reports to zero.
Visit the Public Safety Summary Page
Child Support Incentive Fund ($26.71 Million)
ARRA funding provided monetary relief to local governments administering Child Support Incentive Fund programs. With this funding, the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) was able to support approximately 365 existing Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) staff for two years. The staff assisted with establishing paternity, obtaining support orders, and collecting child support. A portion of the ARRA funds also helped to improve the efficiency of the collections process. In addition, monies were used to enhance customer service tracking to better understand customer needs. ARRA funding assisted in OCSE's overall child support collections, which grew from $642 Million in 2008 to $686 Million in 2010, representing an increase of 7% over 2008 collections. The 7% increase in collection of child support payments directly benefits NYC children.
Visit the Health and Social Support Summary Page
Bringing Funds to NYC
As of December 31, 2011, New York City had applied for 104 competitive ARRA grants and been awarded 39 competitive grants, totaling $620 million. For a complete list of the grants that the City has pursued and the status of these applications, review the " Status of Competitive Grants " PDF in the Additional Reports section.
If you have questions or feedback, please contact us .