All posts in “News”

Partner Kate Wittels joins Crain’s New York Business to talk urban tech

May 5, 2023 / No Comments

Crain’s New York Business invited Partner Kate Wittels to discuss urban tech, including how technology innovation can provide economic opportunity to New York. She shares how investing in the Brooklyn tech ecosystem paid off, the hidden opportunity in the tech hiring slow down, and how we must “let tech breathe” to see how it’s adapted before we draw conclusions about it too quickly. 

 

 

Kate’s work specializes in the intersection of technology and city building. Her past projects have included assessing the economic and social impacts of coworking for WeWork’s global membership, developing landmark methodologies for how to size the tech ecosystem and its impact on people and cities, and leading the Rice Management Company in the planning, design, construction, and implementation of a new innovation district in Midtown Houston, anchored by the 300,000 square-foot Ion Innovation hub. 

 

 

You can read the full piece here. 

 

 

Photo: Crain’s New York Business | Photographer: Buck Ennis 

HR&A Advisors congratulates Principal Jane Carlson on her appointment to the Griffith Park Board

May 3, 2023 / No Comments

HR&A Advisors congratulates Principal Jane Carlson on her appointment to the Griffith Park Board! Jane will apply her deep understanding of municipal finance and economic development strategies to support the Board’s mission to enhance the quality of life in Los Angeles by providing attractive, safe, and well-maintained parks with diverse opportunities to serve and enrich every community. 

 

She hopes her impact can further establish an accessible, dynamic, and sustainable park system for all Angelenos and visitors to play, learn, connect with the natural world, and build community.

 

To read more about the Griffith Park Board follow this link. 

Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik and Director Jamison Dague take a deeper dive into Long Island’s Blue Economy

May 1, 2023 / No Comments

Newsday Media Group’s nextLI engaged HR&A Advisors to create an in-depth analysis of the region’s long-term economic outlook through a scenario that envisions an emergent ocean-based economy. HR&A Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik and Director Jamison Dague launched their report “Long Island’s Emergent Blue Economy”, at a panel discussion. The report examined how a Blue Economy ecosystem can benefit many industries and enhance the prosperity of Long Island in the coming decades.  

 

The report outlines how leveraging Long Island’s Blue Economy and investing in this economic sector and evolving existing policies could add more than 60,000 jobs by 2051 and approximately 35% of jobs in the sector paid between $90,300 and $105,700 per year, on average, in 2021. 

 

“We see an opportunity for Long Island to create a lot of good-paying jobs, to address the existential threat of climate change by cleaning up our waterways and increasing economic output and tax revenue.”, said Shuprotim Bhaumik in his interview with James Madore. In addition to reviewing Long Island’s economic growth, HR&A examined regional economies centered around water activity, forecasting employment for key industries, and interviewing stakeholders to determine interventions and quantify their economic and fiscal effects.  

 

Read the full report and learn more about the findings and recommendations at NewsDay’s website.  

Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik and Principal Ignacio Montojo at the IDB Mayors Forum 2023: Financing Cities in LAC

April 28, 2023 / No Comments

HR&A Advisors Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik was invited to speak on a panel hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank at the “Mayor’s Forum 2023: Financing Cities in LAC”, a supporting event of the Cities Summit of the Americas held in Denver this week. The forum provided a platform for city leaders to investigate novel financing possibilities for cities in Latin America and the Caribbean..  

  

Alongside 40 mayors of cities in the region, as well as local and international experts, both Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik and Principal Ignacio Montojo delved into topics such as vision, planning and strategic financing, strategies for accessing the credit market, infrastructure financing and fiscal sustainability, and capacity building to generate attractive project portfolios that encourage private investment. 

  

To view the event and Shuprotim’s presentation [starting at 5:28:00] on the infrastructure financing strategy for the redevelopment of the West Side of Manhattan and Hudson Yards use this link. 

  

You can access the press release and  learn more about the forum on IDB’s website. 

 

 

Empire State Development Releases Report Outlining First Year Accomplishments of the Office of Strategic Workforce Development

April 28, 2023 / No Comments

Last Year, Governor Kathy Hochul announced an historic investment of $350 million for workforce development and the creation of the Office of Strategic Workforce Development (OSWD) within New York State’s economic development agency, Empire State Development (ESD). This investment represented a decisive shift toward a state workforce development strategy that is laser-focused on connecting New Yorkers to quality, in-demand jobs in the state’s fastest-growing industries. Empire State Development (ESD) contracted HR&A, in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), to support the development of a comprehensive statewide strategy for the newly established Office of Strategic Workforce Development (OSWD).   

 

HR&A and JFF worked with ESD leadership to establish priorities and build consensus with a multitude of internal and external stakeholders, analyze statewide economic and employment trends and existing workforce strategies; develop prioritized strategies and best practices; and establish clear metrics for success that can both guide prospective grantees in their programming and provide a platform for OSWD to ensure the state’s workforce development ecosystem has maximum impact.  

 

To guide its investment, OSWD  identified 7 statewide high-growth target industries representing New York’s most critical growth sectors and additional regional priority sectors. 

 

    1. Advanced Manufacturing and Materials: R&D-driven manufacturing such as the production of electrical equipment, computers, and machinery as well as processing of glass, metals, chemicals, and minerals.  
    2.  Biotech and Life Sciences: Industries that research, develop, and manufacture health care products and equipment and pharmaceuticals.  
    3.  Cleantech and Renewable Energy: Industries that generate, transmit, and store clean energy; manufacture the key components for clean energy generation; and retrofit buildings and infrastructure to incorporate modern technology.  
    4. Construction: Industries related to the construction of buildings, civil engineering, and specialty trades. 
    5. Electronics and Optics, Photonics, and Imaging (OPI): Computer, electronics, and chemical manufacturing industries (including semiconductor manufacturing) as well as related professional services.  
    6. Film and TV Production and Post-Production: Motion picture, television, sound recording, and other industries involved in video and audio production and post-production.  
    7. Software and Digital Media: Software development, data processing, information services, and telecommunication (including broadband) industries. 

 

ESD’s Office of Strategic Workforce Development released their annual report highlighting the significant strides made towards creating a more robust and inclusive workforce in New York State. Over the past six months, OSWD published three grant programs and has disbursed $13 million dollars in funding across New York to 22 innovative training programs in the first two rounds of its grantmaking process. These resources will help train more than 6,600 New Yorkers for more than 200 businesses and industry partners. 

 

See ESD’s press release announcing the report here. You can read the full report and learn more about the findings and recommendations here.

Fountain House Releases New Policy Road Map on Rebuilding Mental Health Crisis Response in New York City

April 26, 2023 / No Comments

This press release was originally issued by Fountain House.

 

The report is based on the insights and recommendations of more than 100 Fountain House members, all of whom live with serious mental illness, and their experiences within New York’s current crisis response systems.

 

New York, NY — Fountain House, a national nonprofit created for and by people living with serious mental illness, today released a new policy road map on the steps New York City can and should take to improve its mental health crisis response system and close vital gaps in services and trust. 

 

The report — developed with HR&A Advisors and with support from Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies — is based on the insights and recommendations of more than 100 members of Fountain House, all of whom live with serious mental illness, and their experiences within New York’s current crisis response systems. It calls attention to the rare opportunity New York City has, right now, to leverage historic levels of state and federal 988 funding to rebuild our approach to mental health emergencies and ensure it provides New Yorkers with swift, comprehensive, and compassionate care. 

 

Among our key recommendations:

    • Immediately increase funding for 988 in the next city budget to continue to scale the 988 system and its workforce; move as many mental health crisis calls as possible out of the 911 system; and integrate 988 services with the social service system to help people address root cause stressors, like housing insecurity, without having to navigate other bureaucratic hurdles while in crisis.
    • Establish a Peer Oversight Board composed of people living with serious mental illness to provide guidance and accountability for the mental health crisis response system and its implementation.
    • Bolster effective, ongoing mental health support by using the 988 system to connect people to lower-cost care navigation programs and community-based supportive services, including clubhouses, that can help people find treatment at all points in their recovery — saving lives, improving public safety, and helping prevent mental health crises in the first place.

     

    The policy road map comes just days after an unidentified Bronx man was shot by NYPD officers while experiencing a mental health crisis. The case closely mirrors what happened to Raul de la Cruz, another Bronx man shot by police in March, and has sparked new debate over the role of law enforcement in mental health emergencies and whether they’re equipped to assess and de-escalate crises as our first and default responders.
     

    Between 2015 and 2020, at least 18 people in New York City were killed by police while experiencing a mental health crisis. Nationally, people living with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter compared to others approached by law enforcement. 

     

    “988 holds a lot of promise — and with the proper investment and public education efforts will save lives — but our work cannot stop there,” said Cesar Yoc, member of Fountain House Bronx. “The city must start thinking of mental health holistically and ensure people living with serious mental illness have access to ongoing, community-based care to meet our health and social needs — with efficiency, sensitivity, and quality treatment.” 

     

    “We urge city officials to invest in the 988 system — a move that will pay dividends for New York City and make it a national leader and standard bearer for mental health services,” said Lena Allon, Fountain House’s Policy Analyst. “Imagine 400 fewer calls to 911 daily, and instead, dedicated mental health crisis teams that can connect people to housing and community-based care for long-term mental health support. This approach can save countless lives and healthcare dollars while reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness. It also puts us on a path to fewer crises in the future, which is something we can’t say about our current system, and must be prioritized in our city budget.” 

     

    “This process of engaging people most affected by the issues should be the norm for analyzing and shaping public policy,” said Sarah Solon, Principal at HR&A Advisors. “HR&A is proud to partner with Fountain House and its members on this policy road map to rebuild New York’s mental health crisis response system and hope the city will urgently consider and implement our recommendations.” 

     

    You can download the report here: Rebuilding Mental Health Crisis Response in New York City 

     

    For more information on Fountain House and how we’re supporting people living with serious mental illness through direct services, practice innovation, advocacy, and policy change, visit FountainHouse.org. 

     

    Fountain House
    Fountain House is a national mental health nonprofit fighting to improve health, increase opportunity, and end social and economic isolation for people living with serious mental illness. Founded in 1948 in New York City, Fountain House originated the clubhouse model of community mental health that has been replicated more than 300 times in nearly 40 U.S. states and in 30 countries around the world.

     

    Media Coverage for the Report

    “Report calls for crisis hotline to replace 911 for mental health emergencies in NYC” — Gothamist (April 2023)

     

    Photo: Fountain House

Principal Greta Byrum Named Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellow

April 19, 2023 / No Comments

Congratulations to HR&A Advisors Principal Greta Byrum on her appointment as a member of the inaugural cohort of Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellows, announced this week by the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society. Greta, along with six other broadband practitioners, advocates, and researchers, is leading efforts to close the digital divide and ensure broadband is accessible and equitable for all communities.

 

“It’s clear that access to the internet and digital services is critical for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy—yet as we expand access to computers and data-driven services, we must also ensure that new and marginal internet users are safe, supported, and
protected online,” said Greta.

 

Learn more about the fellows and the communities they’re impacting here.

 

 

Principal Callahan Seltzer Serves as Panelist for ULI Advisory Services Report for Steamboat Springs, Colorado

April 13, 2023 / No Comments

HR&A Advisors Principal Callahan Seltzer served as a Panelist for a ULI Advisory Services Report for Steamboat Springs, CO. The report offers insights and recommendations for unlocking the potential of this mountain resort town that, like many of its peers, struggles to build housing affordable to low and moderate income households. The Yampa Valley Housing Authority invited ULI’s Advisory Services team to assess the Brown Ranch Community Development Plan, funding concepts, strategy working with the private sector, as well as stewardship and governance.

 

The resulting report highlights the unique characteristics and assets of Steamboat Springs, including its natural beauty, strong sense of community, and diverse economy. It also identifies key challenges and opportunities facing the town, such as increasing affordability challenges, a lack of housing supply, managing growth, preserving historic resources, and enhancing transportation and mobility. HR&A’s Infrastructure Funding Navigator is listed among various funding tools and funding prospects for Steamboat Springs to explore.

 

One of the key findings of the report is the need for strategic planning and collaboration among various stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and vibrant future for Steamboat Springs. Panelists also recommended implementing innovative land use and zoning strategies, promoting affordable housing options, and investing in transportation infrastructure to address current and future needs.

 

To read the full report and learn more about the findings and recommendations at ULI’s website. You can also find additional coverage of the Advisory Services Report here.

 

Photo: Matt Noble via Unsplash

HR&A Principal Greta Byrum Speaks at FCC Roundtable on Broadband Access, Affordability and Deployment

March 28, 2023 / No Comments

 

 

HR&A Principal, Greta Byrum was invited to speak at this roundtable discussion hosted by the Federal Communications Commission’s Communications (FCC)’s Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC). Alongside stakeholders spanning community organizations, internet service providers (ISPs), federal agencies with emergency broadband funding, and state agencies, Greta shared lessons learned from the pandemic.

 

When building solutions to close the digital divide, Greta stressed the importance of working with organizations on the ground that might not be considered technology providers at first glance — for example, churches, food banks, schools, libraries, and community organizations. These connections can be the key to getting digital access to people who need it most.

 

You can learn more about the Roundtable discussion on the FCC’s website.

Video: FCC