Niani Taylor, who lives in Brooklyn’s Van Dyke Houses, is among the small but growing number of NYCHA residents who report income from self-employment. Advocates say the Housing Authority could foster more entrepreneurs by expanding initiatives like its Business Pathways program, which helped Taylor grow her catering company. “I put my all into it.”
Adams will announce a proposal during her State of the City speech Wednesday to support and expand NYCHA tenant-owned businesses, the number of which has jumped significantly in recent years as residents turn to home-based ventures such as catering, child care services and carpentry.
One big problem with Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs), experts say, is that they’re not laws, but rather private contracts between a developer and community groups. And if those groups aren’t around to hold a developer accountable—or the developer isn’t around and there’s no successor clause—there’s little anyone else can do to enforce an agreement.
Undocumented teens cannot apply to New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), which advocates say offers a number of educational and economic benefits. “For some, it’s as simple as a summer job that provides them with extra income but for others, it can be the start of a lifelong career.”
“In 2021, nearly 17 percent of all working-age New Yorkers with a disability were unemployed—more than double the pre-pandemic level. These disproportionately steep economic losses compound with structural inequities that led to pandemic-level unemployment for New Yorkers with disabilities long before COVID hit.”
‘The offshore wind industry is poised to create more than 10,000 jobs in New York. That number is only growing as federal, state and local investments fuel the expansion of the sector in the tri-state region and across the country. At this major inflection point, it is critical that New York lays the foundation for an equitable economic transition.’
‘The accusation that the labor shortage is to blame for non-accredited programs’ plummeting recruitment numbers is just smoke and mirrors. Such programs pose as accredited apprenticeships that strive to combat the “labor shortage” by connecting hopeful workers to seemingly stable career pathways and safe jobs. But this is far from reality.’
“We already have large-scale natural areas across the city,” said Annel Hernandez, associate director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “But there is a mismatch with that and the number of jobs that are focused on this sector.”
In 2016, the mayor and city officials committed to doubling the manufacturing capacity of the East New York Industrial Business Zone, which they say would help create 3,900 local jobs there. But five years later, neighborhood leaders say the area has stagnated.
‘The trauma and isolation of the pandemic has taken its toll. In The Bronx, we experienced disproportionately high numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Until the mental health needs of our participants are addressed, it is difficult—if not impossible—for them to secure and retain employment.’
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