Statement from Robin Hood on Governor Hochul's 2024 State of the State Address

“Today, Governor Hochul acknowledged what too many New Yorkers know to be true: the Empire State is deeply unaffordable for millions of families. She recognized that the soaring costs of housing, child care and health care are pushing many households deeper into poverty and causing people to leave the state.

The governor put strong proposals on the table to expand access to health care for the most vulnerable New Yorkers and protect against financial shocks like medical emergencies. On housing, the governor expressed willingness to exhaust many of the tools at the State’s disposal to help the city address its affordable housing crisis. We appreciate the governor’s historic investments in child care and continue to advocate for child care workers to be paid a living wage – this is the only way to stabilize the sector and create a functioning system that works for parents and caretakers.

We look forward to the release of the Executive Budget next week. We hope that the budget will commit the resources necessary to advance this bold agenda.”

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About Robin Hood:

This year, Robin Hood celebrates its 35th year of funding, supporting, and connecting New York’s most impactful community organizations at the forefront in the battle against poverty. We are NYC’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy and since 1988, we have invested nearly $3 billion to elevate and fuel the permanent escape of New Yorkers from poverty. Last year, through grantmaking with 300+ community partners, we created pathways to opportunities out of poverty for more than 325,000 New Yorkers, and through our strategic partnerships on child care, child poverty, jobs, and living wages, we are scaling impact at a population level for the more than 1.5 million New Yorkers living in poverty. At Robin Hood, we believe your starting point in life should not define where you end up. To learn more about our work and impact, follow us on X @RobinHoodNYC or visit robinhood.org.