PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS = JOBS FOR RESIDENTS
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Shown is Lloyd Gray, of Highbridge Gardens, at work as a mason tender. He received his job through a program similar to the NYCHA-Robin Hood partnership. |
Unique Program will Train Public Housing Residents for Real Jobs
Public housing residents soon will have the opportunity to receive training that will help them find jobs with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and its contractors. NYCHA and Robin Hood have formed a partnership to create an innovative training academy for NYCHA residents. Qualified graduates will be placed either in jobs as Caretakers with NYCHA or in construction jobs with NYCHA contractors.
The initiative is the largest of its kind in a U.S. city, and will create a NYCHA Training Academy that will train up to 150 residents. The one-year pilot project is scheduled to begin in Fall 2010. Based on the program's success, Robin Hood will consider additional funding that will train up to 1,000 residents for additional jobs, adding other provider partners and employment sectors, such as extermination services.
"Robin Hood and NYCHA have created this public-private partnership to help residents acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the workplace, to get good jobs and build careers that will serve as a model moving forward," said NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. "With assistance from Robin Hood, now we can train people for jobs that match our workforce needs. Through this partnership, NYCHA is able to maximize economic opportunity and career advancement for residents in its public housing developments."
In the pilot launch of the project, Robin Hood will provide $750,000 in funding for three training organizations to provide training in janitorial and general construction work. Residents will be trained to begin their careers in Caretaker and light construction positions at NYCHA and with NYCHA contractors. NYCHA's Office of Resident Employment Services (RES) will conduct outreach and recruitment, provide preliminary assessment and assist with job placement.
"This effort is part of Robin Hood's broader effort to reduce poverty and boost the earnings of low-income New Yorkers," said David Saltzman, Executive Director of Robin Hood.
Recruitment for the Training Academy will begin later this summer. Interested residents can take advantage of other NYCHA RES opportunities. The phone number for RES is 718-289-8100.
St. Nicholas Houses Charter School Will Benefit All Residents through Job Opportunities and Community Center
Another recent success of NYCHA's Office of Public-Private Partnerships is the announcement of a new charter school for grades kindergarten through 12th grade at St. Nicholas Houses in Manhattan, a joint effort between NYCHA and the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ). The school will serve 1,300 students and is scheduled to open in September 2011. Children living in St. Nicholas Houses will have first preference for the entering kindergarten class.
The HCZ / St. Nicholas Houses Project follows the Obama administration's vision for community revitalization that challenges housing authorities to integrate housing, schools, commercial corridors, community facilities, improved infrastructure and transportation into neighborhood development plans.
"This facility will be the epitome of what NYCHA's Office of Public-Private Partnerships can accomplish," said Chairman Rhea. "The HCZ /St. Nicholas Houses Project significantly will enhance not just the development, but the surrounding community also."
HCZ anticipates the creation of approximately 100 long-term jobs at the new school, including teachers, administrative staff, security guards, maintenance workers and after-school program staff. They will recruit aggressively from residents of St. Nicholas Houses and the surrounding community to fill the anticipated openings. NYCHA also will work with HCZ to recruit St. Nicholas Houses residents for construction jobs.
"We are excited to have this opportunity to create not just a great school and community center for the residents of St. Nicholas Houses, but to create a model for what public housing can offer people across the nation," said Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of Harlem Children's Zone.
The school building also will serve as a neighborhood resource by providing available space for community use, including making the school gym available afterschool and on weekends all year round. HCZ will offer free programming for children and adults. The building will have security 24 hours a day.
Construction is scheduled to start later this summer. For more information on the HCZ / St. Nicholas Houses Project, go to the Harlem Children's Zone website at www.hcz.org/stnicholas .