The HOPE Program's mission is to empower individuals living in poverty to achieve economic self-sufficiency and to inform practices and policy by sharing our research and solutions.

Description:
The HOPE Program is a work-readiness, placement, and retention program that helps New Yorkers find and keep jobs. We work with clients who have multiple barriers to employment by taking a holistic approach, addressing the underlying causes of each client’s unemployment. We have more than two decades of experience and have tracked outcomes for more than 12 years. The HOPE Program is a 35-hour per week job readiness program that offers individual and group counseling; self-assessment activities; job readiness classes; GED classes & individual tutoring; computer classes; benefits assistance; professional clothing; case management; work internships selected to meet students’ interests and abilities; job placement and retention services; and a breakfast, lunch, and food pantry. We are open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 7:30pm and on Fridays from 9am to 5pm.

History:
Nearly 25 years ago, Dr. Deborah MacFarlane, a soup kitchen volunteer, had a vision for a different type of homeless program: one that offered a way out of poverty. At the time, most programs serving the poor provided emergency assistance only. With input from colleagues at Columbia University, Dr. MacFarlane created HOPE. We were among the first agencies to design a job readiness and placement program that assists individuals in addressing the social, familial and psychological causes of their unemployment and homelessness. HOPE combines job training and placement with other services, such as individual and group counseling, GED tutoring, and assistance identifying daycare, housing, legal, and other benefits needs. Following job placement, students enter our job retention and career advancement project where they can receive a lifetime of support services.

Today, HOPE educates a diverse population of men and women. Our job placement and one-year retention rates are among the best in the nation. Despite homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence, most who enter our doors will find and keep a job. We are recognized nationally as a model program and share our best practices for replication with other organizations across the United States.

Our strategic plan calls for us to have an even greater impact on reducing poverty in the years to come. The plan involves expanding our Employment Program, sharing our research and expanding training in best practices. The HOPE Program is committed to helping impoverished New Yorkers build better futures for themselves and their families.

Contact people:

Rob Freeman, Volunteer Coordinator, (718) 852-9307 x14, (email) Elizabeth McGuire, Special Projects Manager, (718) 852-9307 x24, (email)

Address:

One Smith Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 (See a map)