Mayor Adams Launches MyCity Portal, One Destination to Access Many City Services

By Yehudit Garmaise

Imagine a day when you only have to fill out online forms for city agencies only once, said Mayor Adams yesterday when he launched on Wednesday: the new MyCity portal, which can be found at mycity.nyc.gov.

That day is here, thanks to the MyCity portal, which is the mayor’s long-time dream to “create a user-friendly interface” with city agencies.

While NYC’s old system required residents to visit “different websites, navigate multiple city agencies, send multiple paper documents, then find out whether they had been rejected or told to apply again,” now the MyCity link provides, “a one-stop shop for city services and benefits to make it easier for New Yorkers to access city services,” the mayor said. 

“When you are dealing with a crisis, why do you have to have another crisis by dealing with [multiple levels of] government?” Mayor Adams asked. “Families may not have known which documents they needed to submit, or they may not have realized they had submitted incomplete applications.” 

After clicking on the MyCity link, for instance, users will type in only once: their personal information such as birth dates, social security numbers, and addresses before easily checking their eligibility for the city’s many programs. After New Yorkers enter their personal information once, MyCity will securely save their information and documentation before helping users to apply for city services, which can easily be tracked and researched in the city’s 10 most common languages.

Not only will MyCity remember New Yorkers every time they log in, but the new program, created by NYC’s Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser, will tell users for what programs they are eligible.  Whether SNAP, WIC, DRIE, or SCRIE, “the portal tells each user, "Here's what you are eligible for based on your profile," Mayor Adams said.

Yesterday’s first phase of the MyCity Portal allows for families who need help paying for childcare to apply in one place, with one application.

photo credit: Flickr