New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced a major reshuffle of senior leadership across the city’s social services and housing agencies on Friday, naming Erin Dalton as commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS) and Sideya Sherman as chair of the City Planning Commission and director of the Department of City Planning (DCP). The mayor also reappointed Eric Enderlin as president of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and retained Edith Hsu-Chen as executive director of DCP.
Mayor Mamdani emphasized the importance of responsive leadership, describing Dalton as a public servant who has expanded access to housing, strengthened social services, and protected vulnerable populations. Dalton, who previously served as director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services in Pennsylvania, successfully led an integrated human services system that reduced homelessness by nearly 98 percent, lowered violent crime by nearly 20 percent, and cut incarceration rates by almost 10 percent.
In New York, DSS oversees the Human Resources Administration, serving over three million residents, as well as the Department of Homeless Services, which provides emergency shelters and facilitates transitions to permanent housing. Dalton stated her commitment to improving efficiency and dignity in service delivery, aiming to alleviate the difficult trade-offs families often face between essentials such as housing, food, and childcare.
Sideya Sherman will head the city’s planning department at a time when housing affordability remains critical. With experience as the Chief Equity Officer and commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice, Sherman brings expertise in advancing equitable development. Alongside Hsu-Chen, she will oversee land use, zoning, and long-term growth strategies, implementing task forces such as LIFT and SPEED to accelerate affordable housing projects.
Eric Enderlin will continue to lead HDC, the nation’s largest municipal housing finance agency, which annually issues over $2 billion in bonds and funds the creation and preservation of thousands of affordable homes. Enderlin pledged to expand efforts to ensure every New Yorker can access affordable housing.
The appointments collectively aim to strengthen New York City’s social services and housing infrastructure, prioritizing affordability, community safety, and equitable development to meet the needs of the city’s diverse population.
