New York City’s Ambitious Proposal to Lift 800,000 People out of Poverty
In recent weeks, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has inserted himself quite aggressively into the national conversation about income inequality. That shouldn’t be surprising: Over more than a quarter century, he’s built an unapologetically populist career. His 2013 mayoral campaign ran on the belief that government must bridge the “tale of two cities”—one for the obscenely rich, another for the desperately poor. At one point during the campaign, de Blasio said: “Government must focus on the needs of families, must be the protector of neighborhoods, and must guard the people from the enormous power of moneyed interests.”
More recently, as mayor, de Blasio has proposed raising the city’s minimum wage from $8.75 an hour to $15. To many, the idea seemed laughable. But this week, de Blasio’s idea received a boost: A new report from the city’s Center for Economic Opportunity suggests that raising the minimum wage could help lift nearly 800,000 New York City residents out of poverty.
In 2013, the most recent year for which data was available, 21.5 percent of New York City’s residents lived in poverty. That meant a family of four made less than city’s poverty threshold—$31,156—in one year. Since de Blasio took office, he’s proposed building 80,000 affordable housing units and preserving another 120,000 units. The housing plan, he argues, could house half a million people. More recently, he’s revamped that idea with his OneNYC plan, which aims to connect economic and environmental issues. It includes ideas like putting playgrounds and environmentally friendly infrastructure into low-income neighborhoods. “Environmental sustainability and economic sustainability have to walk hand in hand,” de Blasio told reporters earlier this week, adding: “A beautifully sustainable city that is the playground of the rich doesn’t work for us.”
In a national context, de Blasio has recently urged Hillary Clinton to forcefully deal with income inequality in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. “I think there is a lot of room for a Democrat to speak to [income inequality],” the mayor said in a recent interview with Politico.
There’s certainly precedent for de Blasio’s suggestion to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Two cities, Seattle and San Francisco, recently did so.
The truth is, it’s unlikely New York City will raise its minimum wage to $15 anytime soon—mainly because there’s no political will in Albany, the state’s capital, which must approve such a proposal. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed raising the minimum wage to $11.50. The city’s poverty report suggests that could help lift 310,000 residents out of poverty.
Related stories on TakePart:
• McWages Are Finally Going Up—but Only Some Workers Will See Higher Pay
• The Makings of a Fast-Food-Worker Movement
• Low-Income Housing Funds Are Drying Up All Over America
Original article from TakePart
