Could New York boost public assistance programs?

After years of no increases to the state’s public assistance benefit levels, is it possible that Gov. Kathy Hochul will boost New York’s social safety net as part of her affordability agenda in 2025?

Advocates for low-income New Yorkers, including members of the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, are cautiously optimistic that this is the year for a boost in the programs in that cover basic needs, such as rent, utilities, and clothing. The scuttlebutt among stakeholders is that the governor is interested in increasing public assistance targeting families with young children, which would be in keeping with Hochul’s child tax credit proposal.

Asked about this possibility on The Capitol Pressroom last week, state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara Guinn said a number of different proposals were being considered.

“Every year our agency takes seriously the benefit levels that we have, and we try to advocate for increases,” Guinn said. “But we are also talking about some options that we may have available with respect to targeting some additional assistance to households with very young children.”

“To be continued,” she teased.

The Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council came out with recommendations in December to cut child poverty in half by 2032, which included increasing the public assistance basic allowances by 50 percent or 100 percent. These increases, which are estimated to cut child poverty by 8 percent and 18 percent respectively, would cost billions to implement, according to Guinn.

“Some of that can be supported by federal funds, and then the balance would be state and local,” she told The Capitol Pressroom. “It’s not inexpensive to do. However, we do recognize that the public assistance benefit levels have not been increased in many, many, many years.”