The Bronx’s Uneven Post-Pandemic Recovery is Failing Low-Income Residents
David R. Jones, La Nueva Mayoria / The New Majority
The year is 1972. Picture vacant buildings, crime, poverty, and rampant drug abuse. That’s the image of the Bronx that captured the country’s attention when the borough experienced a sharp state of decline beginning in the 1970s and lasting through the 1990s. During this dark period of the Bronx’s history poverty and crime rates were among the highest in the nation, and the borough’s population declined sharply.
But in the past two decades the Bronx has experienced a dramatic economic transformation. Although poverty remains high, compared to other boroughs, its population has bounced back, employment has grown steadily, and the crime rate is not anywhere near what it used to be.
Much of this transformation has been fueled by real estate development. Although the rising real estate boom spurred some growth in small businesses and added jobs, it failed to materialize into better economic conditions for many of the borough’s working-class residents.
In many ways, the Bronx’s upward trajectory came to a halt with the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the borough harder than any other in New York City, exacerbating social and economic disparities created by years of segregation, marginalization, and unequal economic growth.
So, how does the post-pandemic economic recovery look in the Bronx? A 2023 report by the New York State’s Comptroller indicates that there are parts in the Bronx that may be recovering at a faster pace than the rest of the borough and city. But if you dig deeper, the economic recovery looks a lot bleaker and worrying for the most disadvantaged residents. That’s what a new report by the Community Service Society, “A Call to Action: Hardships persist as the Bronx recovers slower than the city,” shows.
This report is part of a series of policy briefs based on data from the 2023 Unheard Third Survey, which polls New York City's low-income residents on their hardships and views on what programs and policies would help them get ahead.
The report found that while the borough has regained lost jobs and opened new businesses at a faster pace than the rest of the city in the post-pandemic era, it is recovering at a slower pace compared to the rest of the city. The borough’s uneven recovery along with other factors has exacerbated inequities that characterize the Bronx, threatening to erase the gains made in recent years.
A staggering 40 percent of all survey respondents reported facing multiple economic, health, housing and transit hardships. That’s significantly higher compared to respondents across the city (32 percent). The data is particularly worrying for the Hispanic community. They experience much higher rates of economic, food, and housing hardships than their Black and White counterparts. For instance, 62 percent reported an economic hardship, substantially higher than the rates for both Black (41 percent) and White (40 percent) Bronxites. Nearly 70 percent of households with children in the Bronx reported experiencing economic hardship- a figure that demands attention. These households are struggling to buy school supplies, or often being unable to afford internet or subway and bus fares.
What this data shows is that we can’t assume that economic growth or recovery alone will always translate into better quality of life for everyone, especially low-income people. We hope leaders across the landscape in the Bronx and across NYC, including policymakers and elected officials, philanthropy, business and the private sector, consider the data and policy recommendations presented in this report. We believe they provide the framework to improve the availability of truly affordable housing, increase access to public benefits, invigorate local hiring and workforce development, and expand access to affordable healthcare and a college education.
David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society (CSS), the leading voice on behalf of low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years, and a member of the MTA Board. The views in this column are solely those of the writer. The New Majority is available on CSS’s Web site: www.cssny.org.