New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park announced details of a new initiative on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The initiative aims to break the cycle of infant homelessness in New York City by delivering support to pregnant New Yorkers.
Officially launched on Sept. 15, 2025, the mayor said the pilot program, “Creating Real Impact at Birth” (CRIB), is an innovative DSS program that will connect and prioritize pregnant New Yorkers applying for shelter with housing vouchers to put them on a path toward permanent housing and stability.
First announced in Adams’ 2025 State of the City address earlier this year, Tuesday’s announcement — seeded with an investment of $8.5 million — is a key plank of the administration’s ongoing commitment to making New York City a safer, more affordable city that is the best place to raise a family.
Additionally, on Tuesday, Mayor Adams and NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz celebrated the launch of “NYC Baby Boxes,” a new program to welcome the newest New Yorkers and support New York City families by reducing early financial stress for new parents.
Adams said families of newborns at four NYC Health + Hospital locations will be provided with boxes that contain a collection of postpartum and newborn supplies, including diapers and wipes, clothing, games, and several resource guides on what to expect after giving birth.
“Put simply: No child should ever be born in a shelter. We must do everything we can to stop the cycle of poverty and housing instability before it ever begins by ensuring mothers and babies do not go to a shelter after leaving the hospital and that they have the resources they need to thrive,” said Mayor Adams.
“The ‘CRIB’ program is yet another example of how our administration is cutting the bureaucracy that often prevents people from getting the government services they need while also making New York City more affordable for needy families,” he added. “We are proud to be launching this program and delivering ‘NYC Baby Boxes’ to approximately 7,000 families across our public hospital system.
“These interventions will help our most vulnerable New Yorkers find the affordable housing they need to live stable, thriving lives and further our mission of making our city the best place to raise a family,” the mayor continued.
‘CRIB’ is an essential and groundbreaking program that will allow pregnant New Yorkers to raise their child in the comfort of a stable home,” said DSS Commissioner Wasow Park. “As a proud mother, I am so excited for this new initiative and the lifeline that will be extended to people experiencing homelessness who will be connected to permanent housing at this profound milestone in their lives. Project CRIB is an important component of the work this administration is doing to support programs and create services that eliminate barriers and move our most vulnerable neighbors from shelter to housing.”
Bringing home a child from the hospital is a beautiful, exciting time for any family, but it is not without challenges,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Katz, MD. “The ‘NYC Baby Boxes’ will help families have the information and tools to care for mother and child in those early days after giving birth. We are enormously grateful to Mayor Adams, Welcome Baby, and the United Way of New York City for their efforts to support over 7,000 families each year with this initiative.”
Through the pilot program, the mayor said DSS will identify more than 300 pregnant New Yorkers who are applying for shelter and assign them to a housing subsidy that will allow them to move into stable homes more quickly before their children are born.
He said the program is funded through an $8.5 million investment in DSS’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. The pilot is projected to last at least 15 months, with the first three months focused on enrollment.
The mayor said that, in Fiscal Year 2024, over 2,000 babies were born in New York City shelters, “a development that can lead to adverse outcomes.
“Babies born into homelessness are more often associated with low birthweight, asthma, and more frequent visits to an emergency room,” he said. “Diverting pregnant people from shelter can reduce the shelter census and improve outcomes for families.”
The mayor said DSS’s Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake center in the Bronx will identify pregnant clients applying for shelter with a gross income at or below 200 % of the federal poverty level or receiving cash assistance, among other factors.
He said a licensed health clinic contracted by the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) performs rapid pregnancy tests if needed at the intake center.
Once eligible households have been identified, participants will immediately be assigned to a housing support path — either the rental assistance supplement City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) or Pathway Home, Adams said.
