By: Rashida Ashley
Celebrating the New Year is a time for people to spend time. Close friends meet up at bars, clubs, and come together for a laugh fest of nostalgia as they join one another with cultural foods, inside jokes, and underlying love. Family members also have their designated roles to support their loved ones as they celebrate the holiday season. But for expecting mothers, this could potentially be a time of worry for what the new year might bring for not only themselves but also their incoming children.
“Improving maternal health outcomes requires us to address the broader social determinants of health, including economic and housing security,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams.
While there are expecting mothers who are able to stock up on baby supplies and gifts for their soon arriving newborns, there are also mothers who must prepare themselves and their family to transition into the shelter system or another. It is known that the costs associated with pregnancy tide the economic waters to its edge of the shelter system. The 1400 babies who are born into the city’s shelter system each year are more likely to experience adverse health conditions. This includes a higher risk of respiratory disease, asthma, and hospitalization.
As 2025 rapidly approaches, there is more to celebrate along with the new year. New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Members, and expectant mothers launched a new council initiative to provide a guaranteed income program for expectant mothers as of December 11, 2024. This initiative will improve maternal health and reduce child poverty.
“The Council’s initiative to provide expecting mothers with financial assistance marks the first time municipal funds will go towards a guaranteed income program, which was envisioned in my 2023 State of the City address. This is an important step towards reducing the economic stressors that threaten maternal health and empowering low-income mothers to secure pathways to stability and security. I thank my Council colleagues for their support, as well as our partners at The Bridge Project for their work to strengthen our communities,”continued Adrienne Adams.
$1.5 million in Fiscal Year 2025 will be allocated to support The Bridge Project by the Council to establish a new cohort of 161 pregnant mothers experiencing housing insecurity. The new cohort of expectant mothers will receive regular and unconditional support with income. Historically, The Bridge Project has had 63% of participants who’ve lived in transitional housing move to permanent housing within a 9-month period in previous cohorts. This success provides economic stability while at the same time reducing stress along with the improvement of overall wellbeing on both mothers and children.
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