Guaranteed Income: A Foundation for Economic Justice

New Yorkers are working harder than ever, yet falling further behind. The true cost of living—housing, food, childcare, transportation—continues to rise while wages remain stagnant. Too many families live one emergency away from losing everything. Too many foster youth age out of care without a real safety net. Reverend and Former Assembly Member Michael Blake believes the city must act now to guarantee dignity, opportunity, and economic security for every New Yorker.

Within his first 100 days, Blake will declare a True Cost of Living Emergency and begin the process to launch a Guaranteed Income pilot program in neighborhoods hardest hit by economic insecurity, establishing a public dashboard tracking program outcomes for full transparency and accountability. Blake’s Guaranteed Income plan will provide direct financial support to New Yorkers most impacted by the affordability crisis. This initiative is a central pillar of his broader agenda to stabilize communities, end cycles of poverty, and strengthen working-class opportunity across all five boroughs.

We will first implement the True Cost of Living study to know the actual economic baseline needed for New Yorkers, including expenses from housing to childcare to groceries, as reviewing the poverty metric alone is insufficient. Rent and childcare are the two main expenses for New Yorkers. Once we understand that data, our pilot will provide an initial 20,000 New Yorkers, determined by the True Cost of Living metric as rent and childcare cost burdened, with the funds to address these costs, capped at $500 to start. Based upon the success of the program and in partnership with city council, state and federal government, we will expand the eligibility pool and increase available funds.

Recipients will also receive financial freedom and literacy training for two years, being partnered with financial coaches and connected to our “Technology For Good” system to provide direct access on how to identify childcare, housing and grocery support from across city government and philanthropy. 

The Guaranteed Income program will be funded without raising taxes on working families. In addition to working with philanthropic partners, funding will come from drawing down from cash reserves given the economic emergency that too many New Yorkers are facing, reallocating funds in the current city budget including but not limited to excessive overtime pay, taxing vacant luxury apartments that remain empty while families search for housing; recovering more than $2 billion in unpaid city fines, fees, and penalties¹; and ending corporate property tax exemptions.

Budgets are moral documents. Blake’s first budget will reflect a commitment to working families, renters, caregivers, and young people—not just the privileged few. By reclaiming lost revenue and closing tax loopholes, the city can invest directly in its people without imposing new burdens on families already struggling to stay afloat.

Blake’s Guaranteed Income plan is about more than providing relief—it is about building real pathways to homeownership, education, small business growth, and intergenerational wealth across every borough. It is about ensuring no New Yorker is priced out, pushed out, or left behind. It is about restoring faith that New York City belongs to everyone who calls it home. His administration will expand Universal Childcare access and replace outdated Area Median Income (AMI) formulas with a Local Median Income (LMI) standard to better reflect real community wages. Over the first year, the program will scale based on pilot results, community feedback, and measurable impacts, integrating with broader efforts to create pathways to affordable housing, education, and wealth-building opportunities across the city.

This plan will build new pathways to dignity, security, and opportunity for every New Yorker willing to dream.

“When we guarantee income, we guarantee dignity. We guarantee dreams. We guarantee that New York remains the city of opportunity for all, not just the wealthy few.” – Rev. Michael Blake

Tomorrow begins today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who will qualify for the Guaranteed Income program?

20,000 New Yorkers within the initial pilot receiving $500 each towards Housing and Childcare expenses, once they are deemed eligible as rent and childcare cost burdened by True Cost of Living study.

How will the program be funded?

Through Public-Private-Philanthropic partnerships, drawing down on cash reserves, taxing vacant luxury apartments, recovering unpaid city fines and fees, and ending specific corporate property tax exemptions.

Will this program raise taxes on working families?

No. Blake’s plan focuses on recovering existing revenue and ending tax loopholes, not increasing taxes on workers.

What services come with Guaranteed Income?

Participants will have access to mental health counseling, financial literacy workshops, and workforce training programs to support long-term success.

What will happen in the first 100 days?

The Guaranteed Income pilot will launch, a True Cost of Living Emergency will be declared, and a public dashboard will be created to ensure transparency and accountability.

How will success be measured?

The city will track economic stability outcomes, reductions in emergency housing needs, and improvements in health, education, and employment indicators among recipients.

Footnotes

¹ New York City Comptroller’s Office, Analysis of Outstanding Fines and Fees Owed to the City of New York, 2022. Retrieved from comptroller.nyc.gov.

²Office of the New York State Comptroller, Pied-à-Terre Taxes and Proposals for Luxury Real Estate Reform in New York City, Report 2023. Retrieved from osc.state.ny.us.
³ New York City Department of Finance, Annual Report on Property Tax Expenditures, 2023. MSG’s annual exemption from property taxes was valued at $42 million.
⁴ NYU Furman Center, State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods, 2023. Findings show median rent burdens and stagnant wages contributing to increased housing instability.
⁵ City of New York Mayor’s Office, Resilient Communities Strategic Framework, 2024. Includes proposals for Cost of Living Emergency Declarations.