September 24:
Being a New Yorker is an honor, and it fills me with pride to serve as your mayor and share the good news that our city is becoming stronger, safer, and more affordable by the day. You may check the figures for yourself; I'm not saying anything. The Mayor's Management Report, an annual assessment of the city's performance, was recently released. In it, we lay forth our accomplishments from the previous fiscal year in great detail. We have reduced crime, seized thousands of illicit firearms and mopeds, constructed an unprecedented number of cheap homes and new educational facilities, and, most significantly, contributed to the redistribution of billions of dollars to the working-class residents of New York.
New York's economy is booming, and with more jobs being added and crime rates going down, everyone living here can finally relax and enjoy life to the fullest. Murder and shooting rates fell by double digits for the second consecutive year, contributing to a general decline in crime rates during the past fiscal year. There has been an increase in the number of criminal arrests, quality-of-life summonses, and transit enforcement, all signs that our police officers are making every effort to keep New Yorkers safe. Along with obtaining the power to close down illicit tobacco shops last fiscal year, we launched "Operation Padlock to Protect" right away. More than 1,000 underground cannabis dispensaries have been raided since then.
What our police officers do is only a small part of what is required to keep the public secure. Safe passage for those who use our streets on foot, two wheels, or in a jogging stroll is our top priority. For that reason, we increased the number of protected bike lanes by 27% and the number of speed reducers by 94%. That is why we have confiscated almost 20,000 illicit scooters and mopeds, which is four times the amount we confiscated in the previous fiscal year. Lessening the number of pedestrian and traditional bike fatalities in traffic over the past year is an encouraging sign of progress.
Along with making our city safer, we are also making it cleaner. Lead abatement at NYCHA houses was doubled. To save New Yorkers from floods, we evacuated catch basins 24% quicker. Concurrently, we are increasing services to bring down the cost of living in our city while also generating employment and wealth throughout the five boroughs. The unemployment rate has dropped by 8 percent year-over-year to 4.8%, with Black and Latino unemployment falling by over 30%.
By increasing enrollment in subsidized child care by 25%, connecting 19% more youth living in NYCHA housing with jobs, and enrolling 20% more New Yorkers without insurance to receive low-cost or no-cost health services through NYC Care, our city is also helping to put money back into your pockets.
Additionally, there is a record number of affordable and supportive homes being constructed by us. Actually, we conserved and constructed twice as many affordable units for seniors. Additionally, we assisted a greater number of New Yorkers residing in shelters in securing permanent housing.
Just a little taste of all the great things we did for the people of New York last fiscal year. After reviewing this report, it is clear that all of our efforts over the past three years have been fruitful. There is still a long way to go, but we're dedicated to bringing transparency to the city government in all its forms so that we can serve New Yorkers better in the future. It gives me great pleasure to oversee the group of dedicated city employees that are guiding our city toward a brighter future. With the help of this government, New York City isn't merely making a comeback; we're thriving like never before.
