Mayor Eric Adams unveiled his vision for his fourth year in office at his State of the City address Thursday.

“There’s no denying that New Yorkers are anxious about the future. Extreme costs are forcing too many people, especially working class families, to make hard choices between groceries or childcare. Medicine or clothing. Making the rent or moving out,” Adams said. “I promise you this: no one will fight harder for your family than I will and this administration that is sitting up front.”

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams delivered his fourth State of the City Address on Thursday

  • The 2025 speech focused on making the city more affordable and livable for New York City families

  • Adams delivered the address amid an upcoming Democratic primary and an April trial on federal charges

Adams’ address focused on families this year, with the mayor saying the word over 80 times.

He did announced a handful of new programs and initiatives aimed at helping New York families stay in the city, including creating family-friendly housing units, reducing city income taxes for families, offering financial literacy for public school students, expanding free swim classes, extending the use of schoolyards and helping city employees and their families eliminate student loan debt. 

“The greatest city in the world must be the best place to raise a family. That’s the city we call New York.”

Amid a growing concern over public safety, Adams also announced a multi-million dollar investment into mental health resources, specifically $650 million toward an additional 900 safe haven beds and a new facility to help unhoused and mentally ill New Yorkers.

“We must do more to help people struggling with serious mental illness. We can’t just walk past them and act like they can take care of themselves when they can’t,” Adams said during his speech.

“It’s for people who would get discharged from the hospital and usually just go off to a shelter and so now we want to be able to keep our eyes on them. And make sure they get what they need and then connect them to the services that they need,” Anne Williams-Isom, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, said.

The Apollo Theater is known for its tough crowd and it was no different for Mayor Adams Thursday who had a handful of detractors in the audience.

“The promises are great as well. My biggest concern is one: I hope this is something we’re going to focus on and not just say in a speech. Two: so much of the rhetoric and policies the mayor has previously supported run oppositional to these very things and people he wants to help,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.

Others had a more positive reaction to the speech.

“From the business community standpoint, he hit all the right points. I mean, our economy is going great. We have more jobs and more economic output than ever before,” Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of Partnerships for New York City, said.