Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio today announced his appointment of Lilliam Barrios-Paoli as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. Barrios-Paoli will oversee City agencies that the Mayor-Elect has charged with moving New Yorkers from homelessness to stable housing, expanding community health clinics and cutting red tape in social services.

Barrios-Paoli is an experienced leader known for innovating big ideas. She has managed five City agencies under three mayors, where she spearheaded major reforms like the opening of 10 innovative senior centers – including those servicing the visually-impaired and LGBT populations. She also brings a deep background in working with New York’s nonprofit community, which will play a critical role in delivering on the incoming administration’s agenda.

“Lilliam has dedicated her career to protecting the most vulnerable New Yorkers. No one understands better than she the consequences of this Tale of Two Cities we are living. To lift families out of poverty and to sustain vital services, we need real leaders who can put bold ideas into practice. That’s what Lilliam is going to deliver,” said Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio.

“We’re facing a crisis of inequality in this city. Working families live in ever-deeper insecurity. The old safety net, from community hospitals to housing aid, is coming apart. It’s time for big ideas and bold policies that pull together City government, our charities and our vital community nonprofits into a new effort that lifts families up and sustains our communities in every borough,” said incoming Deputy Mayor Lilliam Barrios-Paoli.

“Mayor-elect Bill DeBlasio has made the perfect choice for his Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services by naming Lilliam Barrios Paoli. Every community’s needs are different. No one knows that better than Lilliam. She’s cared for older New Yorkers, helped get our affordable housing built, and watched over our most vulnerable children. We trust her, and we look forward to working with her to ensure communities from Inwood to the Rockaways receive the services they deserve,” said Igal Jellinek, Executive Director, Council of Senior Centers and Services.

(YWN Newsdesk – NYC)