United Way of New York City (UWNYC) has partnered with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) to launch Atlas — an initiative focused on enhancing community safety, increasing economic mobility, and strengthening the capacity of trusted local services. At a time when our City faces multiple crises stemming from COVID-19 and historic racial inequity, Atlas will help meet the immediate needs of Black and Brown communities while at the same time reimagine how to close the equity gap and leverage strength within a neighborhood.

What is Atlas?

Atlas, is in direct response to New York City’s dramatic reevaluation of its criminal justice system aimed at fulfilling the need for supportive, strength-based offerings to ensure that court-involved individuals are in a position to succeed. This will ultimately reduce crime by eliminating the dependence of incarceration and replacing it with personal empowerment and community support.

Led by UWNYC and ONS, Atlas will work in collaboration with UWNYC’s extensive list of Community Based Organizations (CBO) to provide a suite of services including mentorships family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, opportunities for employment and education, and additional resources and supports to individuals awaiting trial who choose to participate in the program. At the same time, Atlas improves the vitality and safety of a community by strengthening local organizations and elevating community-driven public safety.

The Atlas Model

Atlas utilizes evidence-based therapeutic engagement, with models for youth and adults, that has been tested and proven to work to reduce future arrests. Surrounding the core services are additional resources for participants and families for sustained success, like job training and placement, housing assistance, and other material support.

The program is divided into three components:

1. Referrals: individuals with elevated risk for future incarceration or violent engagements are identified and recommended for the program.

2. Outreach & Interventions:  specialists provide tailored, evidence-based supports such as cognitive and behavioral therapy, education, and job training and placement to those referred to the program.

3. Community Capacity: community-based organizations receive dedicated support, technical assistance, peer-to-peer learning, and capacity-building to ensure Atlas can run effectively.

The goal of Atlas is to be a source of stability for and investment in court-involved people, their friends, and their family, as well the frontline community-based organizations that serve them.

Ready to Learn More?

UWNYC recognizes that the scale and ambitions of Atlas requires a strong, networked coalition of stakeholders, supporters, and advisors to ensure success. We invite you to learn more about how you can get involved in supporting the Atlas initiative. To learn more, please contact atlasinfo@uwnyc.org.