Publications
Our policy briefs use data from Communities Speak surveys to provide critical, real-time information on the problems New Yorkers are confronting, and develop policy proposals based on the findings.
Families with Children & Childcare
Families with children in New York City continue to face extraordinary challenges. Our 2022 policy brief highlighted how the pandemic deepened inequities and placed unprecedented strain on the city’s most vulnerable families. The 2025 report builds on those findings, showing that while immediate crisis conditions have eased, many of the underlying hardships remain for families with young children.
Without effectively addressing these needs, we risk not only the well-being of children and families but the resilience of New York City’s overall recovery.
Housing Insecurity
New York City’s housing affordability crisis has intensified, leaving many residents struggling to keep pace with rising rents and a shrinking supply of available homes.
Our 2025 report highlights that although the crisis affects all New Yorkers, some communities bear a heavier burden.
Housing insecurity is driving displacement, disrupting schooling, destabilizing families & straining city services. Without stronger protections and targeted investments, New York risks deepening these inequities and undermining the stability & future of communities across the city.
Small Businesses
Administered from September to December 2020, the Small Business Survey revealed important insights into the behavior of small businesses during the pandemic and the public lockdown in New York. In our data exploration, we have discovered powerful stories of resilience from small firms including Restaurants, Technology firms and Women Minority Business Enterprises (WMBE). We have examined all these enterprises on wide ranging factors.