For those experiencing housing instability, wealth is a crucial component of resilience. It serves as a cushion when ordinary income streams are disrupted and, unlike most forms of income, can be passed down to the next generation, playing a crucial role in breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and homelessness.

VOA-GNY’s wealth-building support services include traditional workforce development and financial empowerment programs that assist clients in obtaining a reliable stream of income and managing it effectively. We’re also focused on the long-term goal of promoting the accumulation of assets for our clients, knowing that a lack of accumulated assets is a root cause of housing instability—even more so than low wages or loss of income.

Financial Empowerment

Financial empowerment services are focused on providing clients with the knowledge and resources they need to understand their options regarding personal and household financial planning, including budgeting, and begin increasing their net wealth through a combination of savings and debt reduction.

Workforce Development

The first step towards building wealth is obtaining a reliable income. For individuals who are able to work, entering or re-joining the workforce to build a career may result in higher income over time than reliance on benefits. Our workforce development services help prepare clients for well-paying careers in industries with a high demand. We connect clients to continuing education and employment training, career and vocational workshops, resume workshops with mock interviews, and more.

YouthBuild @ VOA-GNY

Connecting low-income youth with employment and internship opportunities helps them gain the work experience needed to jump-start their careers and disrupt the cycle of generational poverty.

YouthBuild @ VOA-GNY is a workforce development initiative for youth ages 16 to 24 who live in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. The program combines education, workforce training, work experience, employment, and leadership development. VOA-GNY is one of only four organizations in New York State to be awarded a YouthBuild grant in 2024.