QUESTION
Council Member Stevens Asks DYCD About Key Achievements and Promotion of Neighborhood Development Area Programs
0:13:29
·
120 sec
Council Member Althea Stevens inquires about the key achievements of the Department of Youth & Community Development's (DYCD) Neighborhood Development Area (NDA) Programs and solutions for further promoting these initiatives. Mike Bobbitt, Deputy Commissioner, responds by highlighting the adaptability and success of the NDA initiative, thanks to robust community assessments every three years and an approach that allows programs to evolve based on community needs. He also mentions their pride in the recent integration of services under the '1 DYCD' vision, emphasizing the importance of leveraging limited federal funding for maximum community impact.
Speaker 1
0:13:29
What has been some of the key achievements of the neighborhood development area programs and what can what more can be do to uplift and promote those programs?
Speaker 3
0:13:39
I missed one word of your question, chair.
0:13:41
What were the key?
0:13:42
What?
0:13:42
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1
0:13:44
I asked what were the key achievements of the neighborhood development area programs and what more can do to uplift these programs?
Speaker 3
0:13:52
Thank you, Sharon.
0:13:52
It's a great question.
0:13:54
So I joined NYC in 2010, so I have some reflection from colleagues who were there when I joined, and then I have some reflections over the period of time since I've been there.
0:14:06
This hearing allows us to focus somewhat on the the NDA of the Neighborhood Development Areas Initiative, and I think one of the strengths of that initiative is that we've continued to label it as an initiative.
0:14:17
Because we do a robust community assessment every 3 years, the initiative is allowed to adapt because we review the periodic shifts in poverty across neighborhoods.
0:14:30
We're able to revamp the initiatives so that we're both targeting services where they're needed most, and that we serve as a listening station to the community as to which needs are most needed.
0:14:40
So I think that we've enjoyed success and been useful because of the dynamism of the NDA initiative.
0:14:47
And to the second part of your question, One of the things that me and my team are very proud and excited about is under the the leadership, both of the Adams Administration and Commissioner Howard, We've really embraced a 1 d y c d mantra.
0:15:03
And so these services, which you acknowledged at the outset, and I said in my my testimony.
0:15:08
We only have a limited amount of federal money.
0:15:11
So it's very important that we're able to try to leverage those dollars.
0:15:15
And so whether internally, externally, we're talking about youth services and youth workforce services.
0:15:20
There's a conversation about community development and wraparound services for families.
0:15:24
So I think that that's a strength that we've embraced and can continue to lean into going forward.
