WHAT IS MAP?

THE MAYOR’S ACTION PLAN FOR NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY

The Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP) was created to work with New Yorkers to address the root causes of crime and to implement community-driven solutions to public safety.

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A BRIEF HISTORY

Following the tragic 2014 attack on two children in the NYCHA Boulevard Houses, communities came together to demand accountability for chronic problems and persistent safety challenges in the City’s public housing developments. In response, the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety was created to address the root causes driving crime and other public safety concerns in neighborhoods where decades of disinvestment and neglect had left the fabric of community frayed.
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HOW IT WORKS​

MAP was launched in July 2014 in 15 NYCHA developments, which comprised 20% of all violent crime in the City’s public housing. The goal of MAP is not merely to decrease crime in communities, but to build resident power to imagine and lead alternative public safety solutions in partnership with government. As a community-based public safety initiative, MAP brings government resources and agencies into communities, to meet residents where they live.

At the heart of the work is NeighborhoodStat, a process that brings residents, community stakeholders, and representatives from city agencies together to understand what residents need to feel safe, and to improve public safety and quality of life. Through NeighborhoodStat, the City coordinates responses to concerns raised during regular meetings with residents and community partners. There are also regular opportunities for residents to elevate systemic concerns to City leadership for changes in policy and investment

Each year, residents lead a participatory budgeting process to allocate government funds towards projects to improve community safety and well-being in their developments. Residents have implemented a wide range of projects, including the creation of Unity Park at Castle Hill Houses, transforming an abandoned and crime filled area into a state-of-the-art basketball court and vibrant place for residents to come together and interact.

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IMPACTS & EXPANSION​

The success of MAP is also recognized through research: John Jay College of Criminal Justice found positive trends in communities where MAP exists. A June 2020 report revealed that the average rate of major felonies declined by 7.5% in MAP developments, versus 3.8% in non-MAP comparison sites. John Jay’s evaluation of MAP also found a statistically significant 14% decline in person-related misdemeanors and statistically significant associations between declines in crime and positive perceptions in social cohesion, collective efficacy, awareness of social supports, and willingness to engage with government—all constructs which the MAP model targets. And a study published in May 2019 contrasted criminal complaints between MAP and comparison sites since MAP’s launch in 2014: major crimes increased slightly in comparison sites, even as it fell by nearly 10% in MAP sites. The onset of the COVID-19 crisis intensified many of the challenges faced by people living in public housing. As City government worked to respond to the public health emergency, MAP and partners quickly mobilized its network into a COVID relief operation, providing fresh food, personal protective equipment, and other necessities to NYCHA residents across the city. Most recently, MAP’s success has opened new opportunities for expansion. In 2021, MAP established a citywide Youth Leadership Council (YLC) for young people living in NYCHA developments. The 9-month program trains youth leaders as advocates for safety and well-being in their communities and New York City. In January 2022, MAP released an RFP to select new community-based implementation partners for NeighborhoodStat, which is now expanding from 15 to 33 developments across the city. The new partners will start in July 2022.
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Highlights

Violence Interrupter:
Iesha Sekou

Changemaker:
Inspector Terrell Anderson

Peace Negotiator:
Erica Ford

Violence Interrupter:
Iron Mike Perry

Credible Messenger:
David Caba

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