Council hearing finds gaps in data, payments and coordination as DYCD outlines Crisis Management System overhaul

City Council Committee on Children and Youth Chair Althea Stevens convened an oversight hearing July 1 to examine New York City's Crisis Management System (CMS) after the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) began administering the programs in 2024. DYCD officials described steps taken to standardize contracts, launch a shared data system and provide technical assistance, while council members and CMS providers repeatedly pressed the agency for faster payments, clearer real-time data sharing with the NYPD and baseline, multi-year funding.

The hearing mattered because CMS funds and coordinates community-based violence-interruption work citywide, deploying credible messengers and wraparound services that aim to interrupt retaliation, link people to services and change community norms. Council members said gaps in data, payment timing and agency coordination reduce providers' ability to operate and limit the city's ability to evaluate program impact.

Denise Williams, deputy commissioner for planning, program integration and evaluation at DYCD, told the committee that the agency has integrated CMS providers into DYCD's system of record, DYCD Connect, and has begun standardized site evaluations. "DYCD has integrated NYPD data streams into its system of record to support real time data driven communication between ONS initiative managers and CMS providers," Williams said, adding that DYCD's FY25 implementation work included 102 evaluations with 98% meeting standards or above.

Williams and other DYCD witnesses provided the committee with program-level metrics for the first three quarters of FY25, which DYCD said are aligned to Cure Violence model components: 5,217 mediations, 6,458 de-escalations and 189 shooting responses; an average monthly caseload of 1,363 participants with 43,271 in-person contacts, 31,418 virtual contacts and 4,987 referrals to services. DYCD officials said they are conducting a multi-year implementation assessment with NORC at the University of Chicago and John Jay to evaluate fidelity and outcomes.

Councilmembers and providers pressed on several recurring themes. Chair Stevens repeatedly questioned the pace and completeness of DYCD's data work, asking whether the agency's DYCD Connect build captures all metrics providers collect and why providers must still rely on street-level intelligence. "We have integrated NYPD data streams into our DYCD Connect," DYCD's data lead said, but also acknowledged that the existing agreement sends NYPD alerts to DYCD first and that initiative managers relay information to providers; DYCD said it is working to provide a direct alert option for designated provider supervisors.

Providers and advocates raised chronic payment delays and unpredictable annual contracting as major operational risks. Good Shepherd Services senior vice president David Cabo told the committee that payment volatility and long invoice backlogs create cash-flow problems and threaten service continuity. Multiple providers and testimony from the Bronx and Queens said FY24 payment timelines had lengthened in recent years; DYCD said it had registered all CMS contracts for FY26 and planned to provide an advance equal to 50% of registered FY26 budgets.

Providers and advocates gave additional examples of operational friction. Several speakers, including long-time practitioners from the CMS network, said the city's Peace Mobile or mobile trauma units were purchased without sustained staffing or operating funds and that response coverage is uneven. Providers asked for standardized staffing and funding across catchments, more technical assistance for data capacity, and baseline rather than year-to-year contract funding.

DYCD outlined near-term and longer-term reforms. Officials said CMS provider contracts transitioned from subcontracting to direct DYCD contracts July 1, 2024; DYCD is offering one-on-one budgeting and invoice support and has a vendor for data onboarding and capacity building. DYCD also described a data work group with CMS providers, DOHMH and others to standardize metric definitions, and said it would share findings and evaluation outputs with the committee as they become available.

Council members also pressed DYCD on the agency's summer safety plan: DYCD said it planned activations in 13 precincts and would use co-location agreements to allow CMS providers to use cornerstones and beacons for outreach and programming during the summer. Several council members warned that co-location must include clear, written agreements spelling out responsibilities for recruitment, participant safety and program operations to avoid conflicts between host providers and CMS partners.

Outside the administration panel, public advocate Jumaane Williams and CMS leaders urged stronger mayoral-level support and system-wide integration. Providers said the work is trauma-informed and often carried out under unsafe conditions by staff with lived experience; they asked for standardized training, consistent equipment, and systematic data-sharing protocols.

What happens next: DYCD said it supports the intent of local legislation seeking greater contract transparency and will negotiate with the Council after the hearing. DYCD also said ongoing evaluation work launched in FY25 will inform any changes to metrics, procurement and service levels. Council members signaled continued oversight and follow-up requests for the DYCD's contractual scopes, the implementation assessment, and a timeline for direct NYPD alerts to providers.

The hearing added new publicly disclosed program metrics and confirmed several implementation steps but left unresolved questions about real-time data access for providers, the pace of payment reform and whether contracts and budgets will be adjusted to reflect providers' actual operations and staffing needs. DYCD and providers agreed on the need for continued work; Councilmembers said the committee will reconvene as it reviews evaluations and contract changes.