1 Opportunity NYC CCT Pilot Program in New York City Inter-American Social Protection Network September 22, 2009 Linda Gibbs, Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services Office of the Mayor, City of New York

2 New Anti-Poverty Agenda Mayoral Poverty Commission -In 2006, Mayor Bloomberg appointed a Commission to examine poverty and identify new solutions to help families -Looked around the country and across the globe for new, ambitious and evidence-based program models NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) -Established in the Mayor’s Office in 2006, the CEO manages a $150 fund to support the design, implementation, and evaluation of new anti-poverty programs conducted in partnership with 20 city agencies -Program data tracked and outcomes evaluated to determine success

3 Opportunity NYC Program Launched in 2007, Opportunity NYC is the nation’s first conditional cash transfer program The investment in research by Mexico’s Progresa/Oportunidades established an empirical foundation to support replication Program model is based on other successful programs

4 Learning from Experience Consultations -New York City was eager to draw on the conceptual framework of CCTs -Before beginning the design process, CEO consulted with a range of experts, including local and national poverty researchers and policy makers, several government agencies, and the World Bank Learning Exchange with Oportunidades -Program officials and researchers -Conference in New York City -Site visit to Mexico

5 Promising Evidence Evidence from CCT programs provided a strong case for New York City’s pilot Source: Olinto (2004)

6 Adapting the CCT Model Challenges -Modifying the approach to meet the needs of poor families in the U.S. -Adapting the program model for an urban setting Program Differences -Opportunity NYC is layered on top of an extensive social safety net -Small pilot (2,400 families eligible for incentives) means that the program is targeted to select families in 6 communities -Strong network of non-profit organizations works with families Opportunity NYC Innovations -Incentives for academic performance, in addition to effort -Rewards for full-time work and training for adults -Financial incentive to open bank accounts

7 Will CCTs Work in the US? Opportunity NYC Research -Comprehensive research agenda includes five year evaluation -Some promising preliminary results -12% gain in meeting high attendance standard for high school students -9% gain in taking and passing rigorous state exams -Upcoming report on education, health and work outcomes (year 1) Using Research to Inform Policy -If early evaluation results are promising, CEO will advocate for federal policy change and promote program changes that reflect lessons learned from the Opportunity NYC experiment

8 Learning Networks New York City learned a great deal from our partners in other states and countries – and now we’re eager to give back. New York City’s Learning Network –Develop federal support and knowledge base –Build capacity for discussion and local network –Inform foundations and other organizations –Convene national and international experts OAS Social Protection Network -Eager to share Opportunity NYC research and evaluation results -New opportunities to learn about other ambitious anti-poverty programs and share best practices