Initiatives Includes Funding for Apprenticeships, Conflict Resolution, and Reentry Services
Expanded Summer Hours at Select Beacon, Cornerstone, and Saturday Night Lights Locations Will Ensure Young People Have Safe Spaces to Thrive During Summer Months
Builds on Adams Administration’s Strategies to Keep New York City Safest Big City in America
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Commissioner Keith Howard, and Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) Director Deanna Logan today continued the “We Outside Summer” by announcing $13 million in funding toward upstream community safety measures, including expanding youth-focused summer safety initiatives to provide activities for young New Yorkers to partake in as the city enters the summer months. Part of Mayor Adams’ Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget — commonly referred to as the city’s “Best Budget Ever” — the Adams administration is permanently investing in a range of programs to support at-risk youth, justice-involved New Yorkers, and people living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence.
For a second straight summer, Mayor Adams is investing $2 million to offer nearly 400 hours of programming across select Beacon, Cornerstone, and Saturday Night Lights programs, with a focus on New York City Police Department (NYPD) precincts with the highest levels of gun violence. Mayor Adams also announced $500,000 toward the Flip the Script program, offering young adults in Brownsville apprenticeships in the film industry, providing them with skills and safe spaces to flourish. Further, he announced $4 million in permanent funding to extend Project Reset, to offer young people who were issued with desk-appearance tickets for eligible non-violent misdemeanors an option to engage in voluntary community-based programming to resolve their cases, and announced an investment of $6.5 million toward other innovative restorative justice programming.
“In order to make our city a place of peace and the best place to raise a family during the summer months, we need to reach our young people before they fall into the rivers of violence,” said Mayor Adams. “This summer, we are going to make sure our young people have fun and stay safe by investing in upstream solutions that provide them with things to do. As part of our ‘Best Budget Ever,’ we are announcing $13 million in funding to support at-risk youth, justice-involved New Yorkers, as well as people living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence. Summer in our city should always be a time of joy and fun for our young people, so we’re going to use every one of the tools we have to ensure we’re keeping every New Yorker safe.”
“Under the leadership and forward vision of Mayor Adams, DYCD has made tremendous strides in keeping the city safe through historic, upstream investments in initiatives like the Summer Youth Employment Program, Summer Rising, and Saturday Night Lights. With select community locations open seven days a week, until 11 PM — focused on programs in neighborhoods with the highest incidents of gun violence — every day, this summer, the city is connecting young people and other New Yorkers to safe places so they can play, learn, and stay engaged,” said DYCD Commissioner Howard. “DYCD looks forward to collaborating with our sister agencies, and Beacon, Cornerstone, the Crisis Management System, and Saturday Night Lights nonprofit partners in making the summer of 2025 the best ever in the safest big city in the nation.”
“Our programs are changing lives for New Yorkers involved in the justice system — as well as the communities they call home,” said Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Director Logan. “We have a front-row seat to how investing in people is paying big dividends. By giving them the tools they need to avoid going down the wrong road, we are creating safer and more prosperous neighborhoods.”
The $2 million in funding will support DYCD’s expanded programming and hours across select Beacon, Cornerstone, and Saturday Night Lights programs. Beacons are school-based community centers serving adults and children aged six and older throughout the five boroughs. Cornerstone operates at 100 New York City Housing Authority community centers throughout the five boroughs, providing engaging, high-quality, year-round programs for adults and young people. Saturday Night Lights offers free high-quality sports programming at nearly 140 locations across the city, during weekend evenings, a time of the week when crime historically spikes. The program aims to engage young people, build trust between law enforcement and communities, and help enable youth to develop the skills, knowledge, and meaningful relationships necessary to reach their fullest potential.
Expanded DYCD programming and services will operate throughout July and August. Select Beacon Community Centers are open weekdays from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM and weekends from 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Cornerstone locations will have extended hours from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM. In addition to Saturday hours, select Saturday Night Lights locations will operate on Sundays from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
To empower young adults to chart a brighter path forward, Mayor Adams is investing $500,000 in Flip the Script, a MOCJ pilot that empowers young adults ages 18 – 24 from Brownsville with justice system involvement. This initiative provides participants with paid apprenticeships in the film industry, offering hands-on experience and mentorship, opening the door for potential screenings at prestigious events like the Tribeca Film Festival. Over the course of the four-month program, participants create and publish a short film, which culminates in a red-carpet premiere.
The $4 million in permanent funding for MOCJ’s Project Reset will support diverting individuals from the justice system and offer effective responses to low-level arrests. People issued desk-appearance tickets for certain non-violent misdemeanors will be offered voluntary community-based programming rooted in restorative justice principles in an effort to avoid the negative impacts on housing, employment, and education that can result from court involvement. The program operates under two models: a traditional, pre-court series of sessions with social workers, mental health counselors, and resource coordinators; and an innovative “rapid” intervention model, which engages participants at court if they could not be reached earlier. Both models aim to reduce recidivism, improve case processing, and foster a renewed sense of safety, community, and purpose among youth.
Finally, the Adams administration is committing $6.5 million to the restorative justice program in partnership with the City University of New York that addresses conflict or harm in the community by fostering communication and empathy. This program is open to New Yorkers of all ages affected by a conflict to develop a shared understanding of its root causes and its impact on those harmed, while encouraging those responsible to take accountability. It serves individuals impacted by the criminal legal system, survivors of domestic or sexual violence, and those participating in Alternatives to Incarceration. The approach promotes pathways to accountability, self-determination, and connection through healing and personal transformation.
Today’s announcement reflects Mayor Adams’ commitment to the development of innovative community-based conflict resolution that promotes public safety and makes neighborhoods safer and more livable. Since taking office, Mayor Adams has invested in safer streets and communities through numerous investments. Mayor Adams has surged police officers into the subways multiple times to help reduce crime in the transit system, expanded the Saturday Night Lights youth program to keep young people safe and engaged, and supported a record 100,000 Summer Youth Employment Program opportunities annually for young people. In 2022, the New York City Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was formed as a multi-agency, cross-sector effort to address the root causes of gun violence and develop recommendations to promote long-term safety across all communities. In July 2023, Mayor Adams and the Task Force released “A Blueprint for Community Safety,” a nearly $500 million, forward-thinking roadmap with upstream solutions to address gun violence throughout the five boroughs, with a focus on six priority NYPD precincts with the highest rates of gun violence.
Today’s announcement is another piece of Mayor Adams’ “Best Budget Ever,” where the Adams administration unveiled signature investments to make New York City safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family, while maintaining record-high reserves and ensuring a strong fiscal future for the City of New York.
