Recovery for All of Us: New York City Launches New Deal-Inspired City Cleanup Corps

April 6, 2021

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the launch of the City Cleanup Corps (CCC), a New Deal-inspired economic recovery program to directly create 10,000 jobs and make New York City the cleanest, greenest city in the United States.

“In 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt built the nation’s economic recovery by improving infrastructure, putting Americans back to work, and restoring civic pride in our public spaces. Today, New York City is leading the way in doing it again,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Building a recovery for all of us means creating thousands and thousands of jobs that will make our city a safer and more beautiful place to live, work, and play. That mission has never been more important. Together, we will deliver the kind of recovery that New Yorkers deserve.”

“Building an equitable recovery means investing in what makes New York City great: our people, our neighborhoods, and our open spaces,” said Senior Advisor for Recovery Lorraine Grillo. “The CCC will supercharge our recovery and help us rebuild a fairer and better city for New Yorkers in every community.”

Announced in the Mayor’s Recovery For All of Us plan, the New York City CCC is modeled after the New Deal’s U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which hired thousands of unemployed Americans from across the country to improve public lands, forests and parks during the Great Depression. The federal stimulus passed by President Biden and Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate will be used to fund the program.

Hiring will begin in April, with 1,000 New Yorkers hired this month. More than 7,700 positions will be posted in July and build to 10,000. Hiring will take place across 10 different City agencies, including Department of Parks & Recreation (Parks), Department of Transportation (DOT), New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The CCC will immediately get to work revitalizing New York City’s public spaces and neighborhoods, beautifying parks and green spaces, and bringing art to the city’s open spaces. This will include a citywide graffiti removal campaign, pressure washing sidewalks, designing murals, tending to community gardens, and maintaining Open Streets.

The CCC’s work will focus on key areas identified by local communities and elected officials, business districts, and the 33 neighborhoods hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic as identified by the City’s Taskforce on Racial Equity and Inclusion.

The CCC’s official logo and poster, designed in-house, were inspired by Roosevelt-era New Deal imagery and the original U.S. CCC logo.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our urban landscape in ways big and small. It has also given us a valuable opportunity to re-imagine what our city looks like, especially in the public spaces that have been vital refuges for people throughout the five boroughs over the past year. The City Cleanup Corps program is a two-birds, one-stone approach to our economic recovery — putting New Yorkers back to work while ensuring our city emerges from the pandemic cleaner and greener. I'm particularly thrilled that the Corps will work to clean graffiti in the highest-need neighborhoods, as someone who has committed funding to graffiti removal during my tenure, and I additionally appreciate that the Corps will provide support to our Open Streets, community gardens, and broader beautification efforts. I thank City Hall for its partnership and look forward to working with them to identify particular business corridors and neighborhoods to prioritize in Brooklyn," said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

“In a time of massive job losses in New York, we need an ambitious plan that will put our city back on track to recovery, and that’s exactly what the City Cleanup Core initiative will accomplish,” said Senator Andrew Gounardes. “Our cherished parks and public spaces are vital to our quality of life. By sustaining their beauty, empowering our city agencies, and creating thousands of jobs in the process, we’re making a critical investment not only in our workforce, but in the lives of all New Yorkers who deserve a cleaner city. I look forward to seeing the positive change this program will undoubtedly create for our economy and collective well-being.”

"The City Cleanup Corps will immediately get to work revitalizing New York City’s public spaces and neighborhoods, beautifying parks and green spaces, and bringing art to the city’s open spaces. This will include a citywide graffiti removal campaign, pressure washing sidewalks, designing murals, tending to community gardens, and maintaining Open Streets. Every New Yorker benefits from these parks and streets improvements. I appreciate the Mayor’s Office’s use of federal COVID-19 relief funds to beautify our city and improve our quality of life,” said Senator Brad Hoylman.

“I applaud Mayor de Blasio for his partnership with the City Cleanup Corps to keep our city clean and increase employment opportunities for New York City residents as we move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic. Creating 10,000 jobs is no small feat and I stand eager to support this initiative to ensure that these new jobs are afforded to people from Black and Brown communities across the city,” said Senator Kevin Parker.

“The City Cleanup Corps is a tremendous initiative which aligns with the historic response to difficult times in our nation requiring collective action — federal, state and city programming that provides new work opportunities and a renewed sense of civic engagement for all involved. This New Deal-inspired program brings me much hope in the months ahead, and I look forward to collaborating with the Mayor’s office to ensure that residents of Southeast Queens have both equitable opportunities to apply for New York City CCC jobs and will also equitably reap the benefits of the CCC’s neighborhood revitalization and maintenance efforts,” said Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson.

"The Recovery For All of Us plan tackles two difficult issues: community revitalization and economic equity. I look forward to seeing the plan deployed in our district, which has been plagued with quality of life issues throughout the pandemic. In addition to improving the quality of life issues, community revitalization will bring economic benefits to our City. I thank the Mayor for initiating this plan,” Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.

"The City Cleanup Corps (CCC) is a welcomed and much-needed addition to New York's recovery effort," said Assembly Member Kenny Burgos. "Situated at the intersection of public works and civic pride, this initiative will create 10,000 green jobs, make our City cleaner, and shape our recovery for years to come."

“The City Cleanup Corps is a win-win initiative that addresses a dual need in our city — the need to put people to work toward a common goal and the need to beautify our communities as more people take to the streets and resume their pre-pandemic lives,” said Assembly Member Steven Cymbrowitz. “In our challenging economy, this project will both energize our city and make it a more attractive and welcoming place for all to share.”

“As we begin the City’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the new City Cleanup Corps will play a crucial role in greening and beautifying our public open spaces while employing thousands of New Yorkers,” said Council Member Adrienne Adams. “The particular focus on the neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus is important because equity should be at the center of our recovery efforts. I look forward to the creation of the CCC and the impact it will have on our communities.”

"Community clean up crews are the heart of neighborhoods. The ability to get your friends and neighbors to volunteer their time to clean up city streets show the commitment and effort needed to build camaraderie within neighbors. The ability for the city to acknowledge the commitment necessity for clean streets and green neighborhoods is necessary for the development of our neighborhoods. It's important for our children to grow up in clean streets. It's imperative for the elderly to live in environmentally clean neighborhoods. Mayor Bill de Blasio has shown great vision with his City's Taskforce on Racial Equity and Inclusion by focusing on the City Cleanup Corps (CCC) and the Recovery for All of Us plan. We need clean streets as soon as possible to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic stronger than ever before," said Council Member Darma Diaz.

“Keeping our neighborhoods clean and healthy should remain a top priority as we continue to protect ourselves from COVID-19. I want to thank the Mayor's Office and the many city agencies that are partnering for the launch of the City Cleanup Corps. This ambitious initiative will not only stimulate job growth across New York City, it will also educate new workers and encourage the expanded beautification of our streets and green spaces. I am hopeful that this program will motivate people to return to the workforce and will be instrumental in creating a cleaner, healthier, and more vibrant living environment for all New Yorkers to enjoy," said Council Member Mathieu Eugene.

"As elected officials, our constituents expect us to ensure that their families are safe, and their streets are clean, among other duties," said Council Member Robert Holden. "While in office, I ensured that proper funding was allocated for street cleaning services, graffiti removal, snow shoveling, and additional basket collections. The mayor's City Cleanup Corps is a great initiative that would not only create jobs but help keep our streets clean."

"The City Cleanup Corps created by Mayor de Blasio is precisely what New York City needs right now in order to recover faster and stronger from this pandemic," said Council Member Ben Kallos. "By working to revitalize New York City’s neighborhoods and making sure we beautify our parks and green spaces, all while employing 10,000 New Yorkers this initiative has the potential to be transformational for our City. Thank you to the Mayor and the various city agencies that will collaborate to get this started."

"In District 45, we are already partnering with DSNY and residents to clean, beautify, and preserve our community. The City Cleanup Corps will help accelerate our existing efforts while creating much-needed jobs to support the economic recovery of families and small businesses devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we can set a new standard of cleanliness while protecting our environment for future generations," said Council Member Farah N. Louis.

"Beautifying our parks and spaces, and cleaning our streets throughout the pandemic have been a labor of love for so many New Yorkers, who have volunteered their time, especially across my district. Now we can truly double down on having cleaner neighborhoods that we can be proud of while getting thousands of New Yorkers back to work. The City Cleanup Corps is great news for our City as we work to recover from this pandemic," said Council Member Francisco Moya.

“Quality of life and neighborhood cleanliness are top priorities for my constituents. The City Cleanup Corps will not only help to beautify the city, but create jobs in the process—a win-win,” said Council Member Keith Powers.

"New York should be an example for the rest of the country on how to get folks back to work as we recover from the pandemic, and the new City Cleanup Corps helps accomplish this while improving neighborhood cleanliness and livability. I'm looking forward to seeing this plan in action on the streets and sidewalks of my district," said Council Member Carlina Rivera.

"The City Cleanup Corps will not only give us cleaner, greener neighborhoods, but also provide employment to those still struggling from the economic effects of the pandemic. By reaching into neighborhoods hardest hit, this initiative puts New York City on the path to both economic recovery and economic justice," said Council Member Debi Rose.