Governor Hochul Awards Record $20.2 Million to Strengthen Public Safety Response to Domestic Violence

Governor’s Investment in STRIVE Initiative Supports Survivors Through Evidence-Based, Survivor-Centered, Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Strategies

Grants Support 155 Positions at 87 Law Enforcement Agencies and Community Organizations That Assist Victims and Survivors and Create Accountability for Abusive Partners

New York State’s Division of Criminal Justice Services and Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence To Support Implementation Efforts

Investment Follows Essential, Commonsense Changes to New York’s Discovery Laws and Additional Funding To Support Survivors in the FY26 Enacted Budget

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a record $20.2 million investment to expand efforts to reduce intimate partner violence in 17 counties outside of New York City. This funding allows the State Division of Criminal Justice Services to support 87 law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations through the Statewide Targeted Reductions in Intimate Partner Violence (STRIVE) initiative, a ground-breaking collaborative involving district attorneys’ offices, sheriffs’ offices, municipal police agencies, probation departments, and service providers.

“The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority, and I am committed to using every tool at our disposal to support anyone who has ever felt unsafe in their own home,” Governor Hochul said. “This record funding will save lives and reduce violence by putting offenders on notice and ensuring that the highest-risk victims and survivors receive the protection and support they need and deserve.”

This new investment will fund 155 positions including investigators, detectives, crime analysts, coordinators and advocates to support skilled, multidisciplinary teams that work to reduce domestic violence and increase survivor capacity for safety.

The STRIVE initiative promotes a coordinated community response rooted in survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally competent practices. Modeled after the Division of Criminal Justice Services’ Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, STRIVE required each county to develop a comprehensive plan using one or more evidence-based strategies to hold those who harm accountable and increase safety capacity for victims.

STRIVE emphasizes six core elements: people, alignment, evidence-based strategies, engagement, skilled and supported staff, and monitoring and evaluation. The initiative places special focus on high-risk cases where victims face a serious risk of harm or lethality. Teams will use needs assessments, system mapping, and problem analysis to focus their efforts on the highest risk cases.

Community providers will ensure responses align with existing services at the state, local, and federal levels—including social services, probation, and victim assistance programs. Progress will be monitored and evaluated using tools that track trends and inform adjustments. Using local knowledge and robust data, teams will implement one of three proven strategies to reduce domestic violence:

• Domestic Violence High-Risk Team Model
• Lethality Assessment Program for Law Enforcement
• Intimate Partner Violence Intervention

The five New York City District Attorneys’ Offices also each received a share of $5 million to improve the public safety response to intimate partner violence and better address the needs of victims and survivors through early case enhancement efforts and assessments to identify and prioritize high-risk cases of abuse, among other strategies that support survivors and hold perpetrators accountable. 

The following counties, selected based on volume and rate of domestic and intimate partner violence, are receiving grant funding:

Long Island

• Suffolk County: $1,989,636

Mid-Hudson

• Dutchess County: $711,221
• Orange County: $1,129,806
• Westchester County: $1,419,443

Capital Region

• Albany County: $1,356,464
• Rensselaer County: $775,555
• Schenectady County: $1,177,640

North Country

• Jefferson County: $647,344

Mohawk Valley

• Oneida County: $918,308

Central New York

• Onondaga County: $1,876,478

Southern Tier

• Broome County: $750,767

Finger Lakes

• Cayuga County: $573,407
• Monroe County: $2,299,070
• Genesee County: $480,516

Western New York

• Chautauqua County: $847,225
• Erie County: $2,379,496
• Niagara County: $904,660

A breakdown of funding by county, law enforcement agency and service provider is available online. DCJS will support the implementation and improvements in how agencies respond to intimate partner violence with dedicated training and technical assistance from national and state experts. STRIVE counties will also benefit from access to the State’s 11 Crime Analysis Centers, which provide data, intelligence and investigative support to identify perpetrators and build prosecutable cases.

Additional STRIVE investment builds on essential, commonsense changes to New York’s Discovery Laws in the FY26 Enacted Budget to support survivors, hold perpetrators accountable and safeguard the right to a fair and speedy trial. The changes enacted will prevent cases from being thrown out over technical errors and eliminate dismissals and disruptions that have re-traumatized survivors of domestic violence and other serious crimes, and include $135 million for prosecutors and defenders to ensure compliance with discovery, a year-to-year increase of $15 million. The Enacted Budget also increases funding for rape crisis centers for the first time in a decade, with nearly $13 million for 52 centers certified by the State Department of Health; expands access to HIV prophylaxis medication to all survivors of sexual assault, not just those under 18; and improves access to public assistance for survivors of gender-based violence.

THE EMPIRE BIN STRIKES BACK…AGAINST THE RATS… AS NEXT PHASE OF TRASH REVOLUTION BEGINS IN WEST HARLEM

 

Manhattan Community Board 9 Becomes First Neighborhood in North America to Have 100 Percent of Trash Fully Containerized 

  

Automated Side-Loading Trucks Now Service Residential, On-Street Containers – A First for North America – as Mayor Adams Announces 1,100 Empire Bins Installed Across West Harlem 

  

Announcement Ends 50-Year Era of Leaving Mounds of Garbage on Streets and Sidewalks 

  

New Data Shows Containerization Works: Since Last Residential Containerization Rules Went Into Effect, Rat Sightings Have Declined for Six Straight Months 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan today announced that — following the installation of approximately 1,100 on-street containers for residential trash from the largest buildings — 100 percent of trash in Manhattan Community Board 9 is now covered by containerization requirements, ushering in a new era of clean sidewalks, clear corners, and fewer rats. Yesterday, DSNY completed installation of the final on-street containers, known as Empire Bins, and today marked the first day of full service for over 29,000 households in West Harlem, becoming the first neighborhood in North America to have 100 percent of trash fully containerized. Early data shows containerization is working: Since residential container requirements first went into effect six months ago, the number of rat sightings reported to 311 — when compared to the same month 12 months prior — has dropped.  

  

“When we said four years ago that we were going to have cleaner streets and fewer vermin, the cynics rolled their eyes and said, ‘New York City is too big, government moves too slow, and no one will ever beat the rats.’ But we refused to take no for an answer, and our Empire Bins are striking back at rats and garbage in West Harlem,” said Mayor Adams. “As a result of our efforts, we now have a fully containerized neighborhood in Harlem — the first in North America — and have seen six straight months of fewer rat sightings with cleaner sidewalks and clearer corners.”  

  

“When I started as a sanitation worker in 1999, the idea that we could get where we are today seemed impossible,” said DSNY Acting Commissioner Lojan. “But in the 26 years since then, I’ve seen too many good people get hurt from throwing bags or sick with leptospirosis, and I’ve seen too many neighborhoods asked to live with garbage juice and rats all over their sidewalks. It doesn’t have to be that way and today marks a giant leap forward for our city — the completion of a signature Adams administration initiative, a revolution in how we handle our trash.” 

  

Determined to turn the tide on generations of trash on the curbs, foul odor, oozing liquids, and legions of rats, the Adams administration studied the best ways to containerize trash; something that past city leaders dismissed as impossible. After months of volumetric analysis, community engagement, and planning, New York City began working to containerize 100 percent of trash. All New York City businesses have already been required to put their trash in bins since March 2024, and, since November 2024, all buildings with one to nine residential units are required to use bins; these rules have containerized 70 percent of all New York City trash.  

  

The West Harlem pilot announced today covers higher-density buildings in the neighborhood, assigning Empire Bins to all West Harlem buildings with more than 30 units. Buildings with 10 to 30 units have been given an option to either have an Empire Bin assigned to them or use smaller “wheelie bins” for their trash. After an extensive outreach period that included knocking on the doors of every affected building to speak to residents, owners, and building superintendents, roughly half of buildings with 10 to 30 units opted for an Empire Bin. 

  

Over the last five weeks, DSNY has installed roughly 1,100 Empire Bins. Unlike in other parts of the world, the bins are not shared by the entire block. Bins are assigned to individual buildings, and property owners have been given key cards to access the bins. 

  

Industry experts estimated in 2023 that the automated side-loading trucks needed to service these Empire Bins would take more than five years to develop. Working with developers in Torino, Italy, as well in Hicksville and Brooklyn, New York, the Adams administration worked to solve this problem sooner, unveiling a prototype truck in February 2024. These trucks, which take two Sanitation Workers to operate, are now already operating on the streets of West Harlem. 

  

DSNY staff will begin analyzing results and outcomes of this pilot program in the coming weeks and months. A timeline and process for expansion beyond Manhattan Community Board 9 will be determined based upon learnings from the pilot district. 

  

Today’s announcement is part of Mayor Adams’ Trash Revolution — the citywide effort to move trash from black bags on the sidewalk to rat-resistant, closed containers: 

  

•   In October 2022, the Adams administration kicked off the Trash Revolution by changing set-out times for both residential and commercial waste from 4:00 PM — one of the earliest set-out times in the country — to 8:00 PM in April 2023, while also allowing earlier set-out if the material is in a container. This incentivization of containerization was paired with major changes to DSNY operations, picking up well over a quarter of all trash at 12:00 AM rather than 6:00 AM, particularly in high density parts of the city, and ending a practice by which up to one-fifth of trash had been purposefully left out for a full day.  

•   Later that month, DSNY published the “Future of Trash” report, the first meaningful attempt to study containerization models in New York City, and the playbook to get it done.  

•   In August 2023, containerization requirements went into effect for all food-related businesses in New York City. These businesses — restaurants, delis, bodegas, bars, grocery stores, caterers, and more — produce an outsized amount of the type of trash that attracts rats.  

•   That same month, installation of the initial 10-block, 14-school, Manhattan Community Board 9 pilot containers began. 

•   In September 2023, commercial containerization requirements extended to chain businesses of any type with five or more locations in New York City. These chain businesses tend to produce a large total volume of trash. 

•   In February 2024, Mayor Adams unveiled a new, automated, side-loading garbage truck and a new data-driven containerization strategy, affirming a commitment from Mayor Adams’ 2024 State of the City address to set New York City on the course to store all trash put out for pickup in containers. This truck was unveiled four years earlier than industry experts thought possible. 

•   In March 2024, container requirements went into effect for all businesses — of every type — in New York City to get their trash off the streets and into a secure bin.  

•   In November 2024, container requirements went into effect for low-density residential buildings — those with one to nine units — containerizing approximately 70 percent of all trash in the city.  

•   Last month, Mayor Adams committed over $32 million in permanent funding for DSNY to keep New York City clean as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget, better known as the “Best Budget Ever.” This decision permanently allocates resources to key aspects of Mayor Adams’ cleanliness agenda, establishing permanent high levels of funding to protect the cleanliness and quality of life of city neighborhoods for generations to come. 

State Senator Gustavo Rivera - Tomorrow: Second Kingsbridge Armory Public Hearing!

 

Dear Neighbor,

The Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment project application was formally certified, marking the start of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, better known as ULURP. Your voice is needed to shape the project's development and make sure the Armory benefits our community. 

There’s still time to sign up to speak at tomorrow’s hearing! Bronx Community Board 7 is hosting an in-person Public Hearing to inform the community about the proposed redevelopment and offer an opportunity for public input. 

SIGN UP TO SPEAK BY JUNE 3RD AT 4 PM HERE!

WHEN: Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3 at 6:30 PM

WHERE: KIPP Elementary School

2720 Jerome Avenue

Bronx, NY 10468

I hope to see you there! 

Gustavo Rivera

New York State Senate

33rd District

CITY OF NEW YORK TAKES ACTION TO SUPPORT PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT WHO WAS ARRESTED AFTER ATTENDING ROUTINE IMMIGRATION HEARING

 

Amicus Brief Outlines That City is Less Safe When Immigrants are Afraid to Access Basic Services and Attend Court Hearings 

Student Had Previously Accessed City’s Asylum Application Help Center to Apply for Asylum, Work Authorization, and TPS

The City of New York today took action in support of Dylan Lopez Contreras, a New York City Public Schools student who was arrested in a Manhattan courthouse on May 21, 2025 after attending a mandatory, routine immigration hearing by filing an amicus brief in the case of Dylan Lopez Contreras v. Leonard Oddo, in his official capacity as the facility administrator of the Moshannon Valley Processing Center; Brian Mcshane, in his official capacity as acting Philadelphia field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Todd Lyons, in his official capacity as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and Kristi Noem, in her official capacity as secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Contreras, a student at Ellis Prep High School in the Bronx, has no criminal history and is pursuing a pathway to a green card. Aside from attending a New York City public school, he had also previously accessed the city’s Asylum Application Help Center multiple times, which helps new arrivals apply for asylum, work authorization, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as they take the necessary steps toward becoming self-sufficient.

The brief — filed in the Western District of Pennsylvania,  where Contreras is being held despite living in New York City — argues that he is being detained without cause and in violation of his right to due process. The filing makes clear that the city is less safe when immigrants are afraid of accessing basic services and attending immigration court hearings. The filing also outlines the important contributions that immigrants have long had on New York City, specifically on its cultural fabric, economic growth, and overall prosperity.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe has always been our top priority, and our city is less safe when people are afraid to use public resources and are, instead, forced to hide in the shadows,” said Mayor Adams. “Dylan Lopez Contreras was going through the exact legal proceeding that we encourage new arrivals to go through in order to be able to work and provide for their families — and even accessed the center that we created for migrants to be able to avoid city shelters and become independent. But instead of being rewarded for following the law, he was punished for doing what we all asked him to do. For generations, New York City has been defined by its diverse immigrant communities, and we are sending a message to those communities: We stand with you, and you deserve to live your lives freely.”

“Free access to courts is a pillar of the rule of law,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “As detailed in our amicus brief, tactics like those used to detain Dylan Lopez Contreras create a culture of fear around all manner of court proceedings that depend on cooperation from members of the public and undermine the public trust. Justice requires, and the city fully supports, Dylan’s release.”

“In a city built on immigrants, Dylan is one of the many who have shaped our community and detaining him is not just a legal injustice — it's a moral one,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. “I, along with my colleagues across the Adams administration, are standing up for what's right, and we want to be clear to all New Yorkers: our public resources are accessible and safe for all of us, whether you were born here or elsewhere. In our public schools, we do not track immigration status, and our schools remain safe spaces for all of our students.”

“New York City is taking this step because we believe every immigrant deserves due process and should be treated with dignity and respect, not in ways that create fear or discourage people from seeking critical and often life-saving city services,” said Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro. “Our immigration system has been broken for decades. That is why we have called for meaningful reform since the start of our administration, so immigrant New Yorkers can live, work, and continue to contribute to our city. This is especially urgent for the young people in our public schools, who are growing up as part of the city's fabric. We need real pathways to legal status and work authorization so our neighbors can remain an essential part of New York City’s future.”

The amicus brief lays out the immigrant community’s — including those who are undocumented — vast contributions to the City of New York. New York City is home to more than 3 million immigrants, comprising nearly 40 percent of the city’s population. Contreras is reportedly one of more than a dozen people led to believe that their immigration cases were being favorably resolved and then arrested either in or outside an immigration courthouse in Manhattan, a stone’s throw away from a federal district court, state criminal and civil courts, local criminal, housing, and family courts, and other courthouses. As the brief makes clear, these tactics risk driving underground those otherwise inclined to follow the country’s immigration laws, undermining the very system that those laws are designed to serve.

Further, in the brief, the city argues that the judicial system itself will suffer if residents fear that simply appearing in court to protect their rights or the rights of others could expose them to detention and removal.

Phase Two of The Peninsula Tops Out in Hunts Point, The Bronx

 

Construction has topped out on the second phase of The Peninsula, a 100-percent affordable residential complex in Hunts Point, The Bronx. Developed and built by Gilbane Development, Hudson Companies, MHANY Management, and Broadway Builders, the entire master plan will consist of four mixed-use buildings yielding 740 affordable homes. The development will also contain a light-industrial manufacturing facility, 15,000 square feet of retail space, a grocery store, and 57,000 square feet of open public plazas. There will also be 52,000 square feet of community facility space slated to be occupied by a DOE administered Head Start facility, Inspiration Point’s cultural arts facility, and a Health and Wellness Center operated by UrbanHealth Plan. The property is located along Spofford Avenue between Manida and Tiffany Streets.

Exterior work is quickly progressing on the two topped-out towers, which are already mostly enclosed in their red brick façades and grids of floor-to-ceiling windows. The following image was taken from the future public plaza between phases one and two.

A topping-out ceremony was held last week and was attended by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. Also in attendance were representatives of the New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and THE POINT CDC.

 

Phase one of The Peninsula is located along the southwestern corner of the block and was completed in 2022. This phase contains 183 affordable rental apartments, a 14,000-square-foot cultural arts center, a 57,000-square-foot industrial building, and affordable artist studios. Its retail space is primarily occupied by minority and women-owned businesses and local food entrepreneurs, including Cake Pops NYC, Guang De Noodles, Nut Hatch, Bevi-Still, Birley Bakery, and AI-Rides.

Phase two of The Peninsula will cost $297 million and consists of two mixed-income, mixed-use, mid-rise buildings (2A and 2B) that will yield 359 additional affordable apartments in studio to four-bedroom layouts. Seventy-three percent of the units will be available at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) and 15 percent will be reserved for formerly homeless households. 

The third phase will bring the final 218 affordable units at a later date.

Amenities in phase two will include fitness rooms, shared laundry rooms, an early childhood center, residential lounge spaces with access to outdoor terraces, common areas, Wi-Fi, and bicycle storage. Other amenities will include a 40,000-square-foot landscaped public pedestrian plaza, a garage with 155 underground parking spaces, and 20,000 square feet of community facility space. Sustainable design elements include rainwater harvesting and solar rooftop panels.

The nearest subway from the site is the 6 train at the Longwood Avenue station to the west.

Phase two of The Peninsula is slated for completion in July 2026.

2025 VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE (VNNA)–JUNE 4–MONTHLY MEETING—7:00PM

 

VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE

JUNE 4, 2025 MONTHLY MEETING

7:00 PM

1830 AMETHYST STREET

GROUND FLOOR, COMMUNITY ROOM

CANDIDATES FOR BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT

Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance

www.facebook.com/VanNestNeighborhoodAlliance

Riverdale Pride on Display

 

It was the first day of Pride Month in New York City Sunday, with the 4th Annual Riverdale Pride event kicking off the month long pride events. On hand were elected officials such as Bronx Borough president Vanessa Gibson, State Senator  Gustavo Rivera, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Councilman Eric Dinowitz. 

Dozens of tables were set up with various individual hand made products for sale, organization's, resources, giveaways, information, artists, with live entertainment, Drag Shows, and Dog Costume show.  The Riverdale Pride event was held at the Riverdale Neighborhood House by the Kingsbridge Riverdale Development Corporation led by Ms Laura Levine, who had 'Happy Birthday' sung to her by various elected officials.

There was a Zumba class which included the Community Affairs officer from the 50th Precinct.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark stands between Councilman Eric Dinowitz and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, as Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson is speaking, with Laura Levine of KRVC.

The Riverdale Children's Theater sing 'It begins with love.'

State Senator Gustavo Rivera sings 'Happy Birthday' to Laura Levine of KRVC.

Various Drag performers entertained those in attendance for the Riverdale Pride event.