Statement from Robin Hood CEO Richard Buery Jr. on the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council’s Vote to Adopt Recommendations That Will Cut Child Poverty by 50% Across New York State

NEW YORK, NY — Today, the New York State Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, established by law in 2022 to identify policies that would effectively cut child poverty by 50% by 2032, voted to adopt final recommendations that would achieve this goal. The recommendations are put forth to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate President Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for consideration in the upcoming FY26 state budget.

Below is a statement from Richard Buery, Jr., CEO of Robin Hood and a member of the Council:

“Child poverty is a crisis in New York, with 20% of children living below the federal poverty line – making the Empire State 40th in the nation. This is a moral failure, and it comes with a hefty price tag. From lost economic productivity to increased incarceration, our high child poverty rate costs New Yorkers $60 billion per year. The CPRAC’s recommendations are a roadmap to help as many as half a million children either escape or avoid a life in poverty.  Raising the Empire State Child Credit to $1,500 per child, for example, and making the lowest-income families eligible, will have an immediate impact, as we saw nationally and locally when the federal child tax credit was temporarily expanded during the pandemic,” said Richard Buery Jr., CEO of Robin Hood. “Thrown headfirst into a local affordability crisis, families face impossible choices between paying for the essentials like rent, food, and child care, leading many to leave New York in search of better opportunities. We need Albany to put our children, our economy, and our future first. Now is the time for bold action. This policy roadmap is just that.”

Background information on the CPRAC recommendations:

Today, CPRAC proposed a set of sustained investments designed to reduce child poverty while addressing the long-term costs of failing to act. The Council recommends proven, practical solutions that will create financial stability for families and improve outcomes for children across New York State while helping to achieve the goals set forth by the Child Poverty Reduction Act, which pledges to reduce child poverty by 50% by 2032 (and passed with overwhelming bipartisan support from lawmakers representing rural, urban and suburban districts across the state). 

It is a roadmap that would lift more than 260,000 children out of poverty and another 246,000 who are living just above poverty today – that’s half a million New York children whose life trajectories could be completely altered (source: Urban Institute analysis of CPRAC package 1). 

Four critical policies make up the CRPAC’s recommendations:

• Expand the Empire State Child Credit: Raise the credit to $1,500 per child and include the lowest-income families that do not receive the full credit because their incomes are too low.

• Create a Statewide Housing Voucher Program: Help unsubsidized low-income New Yorkers afford rent and prevent housing instability and homelessness. 

• Boost Public Assistance: Increase monthly cash assistance and fix outdated eligibility rules.

• Expand SNAP Benefits: Make sure all kids have access to food assistance, no matter their immigration status.

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About Robin Hood

We are NYC’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy and since 1988, we have invested nearly $3 billion to elevate and fuel New Yorkers’ permanent escapes from poverty. In 2023, through grantmaking with 250+ community partners, we created pathways to opportunities out of poverty through our strategic partnerships on child care, child poverty, jobs, living wages, and more. We are scaling impact at a population level for the nearly 2 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 go to robinhood.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

Crystal Cooper, Deputy Director of Communications, Robin Hood, press@robinhood.org