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NYC Social Services Chief Molly Wasow Park Resigns as Mamdani Plans Leadership Change

City Hall says a successor will be announced in the coming weeks.

Overview

  • Park submitted her resignation Monday after weeks of uncertainty and being told she would not be retained under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, with the administration interviewing other candidates since January.
  • Her exit comes as New York City tallies 18 outdoor deaths during a prolonged cold snap, and she is slated to testify at a City Council hearing on the response.
  • City Hall thanked Park for her service and said she will help through the transition, with a new Department of Social Services commissioner to be named soon.
  • During her tenure, DSS expanded Safe Haven and stabilization beds, helped move about 1,200 people into permanent housing, and grew cityFHEPS to more than 65,000 households.
  • The agency faced lawsuits over delayed SNAP and cash-assistance processing, and Mamdani’s office is scrapping a pending rule that would have required six months of street living to access Safe Haven or stabilization beds.