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VOA-GNY Awarded $1.5 Million Grant for Youth Employment Training Program

YouthBuild grant will enable VOA-GNY to develop opportunities for young people in New York City to receive training to gain meaningful employment and wealth-building opportunities.

Black male african american workers wear sound proof headphones and yellow helmet working an iron cutting machine in factory Industrial.

NEW YORK – Volunteers of America-Greater New York (VOA–GNY) announced today that it is the recipient of a $1.5 million YouthBuild grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, making VOA-GNY one of only four organizations in the state to be awarded such a grant in 2024.

The national YouthBuild program was created in 1978 as a resource for young adults with limited financial opportunities, expanding access to apprenticeship opportunities, preparing young workers for quality jobs, and strengthening the nation’s workforce to meet industry demands. The grant adds another tool to VOA-GNY’s arsenal for helping clients confront the systemic barriers that stand in the way of accessing wealth-generating careers.

VOA-GNY is using the grant to establish a YouthBuild program in the Bronx, which will teach 66 young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor employed the skills needed to pursue a career in the booming construction field. The program will also connect participants with ongoing education opportunities and financial literacy courses.

Through VOA-GNY’s partnership with NYC Department of Education District 79, the organization will provide GED programs to support educational advancement in addition offering construction certification courses including OSHA 40, Home Builder’s Institute Pre-Apprenticeship (HBI-PACT), and Green Building Certificates. To ensure practical experience, YouthBuild participants will also engage in paid work opportunities and job shadowing through VOA-GNY’s real estate department. This uniquely holistic approach is representative of the organization’s innovative wealth-building strategy for ending homelessness.

As a part of the employment training, participants will work closely with an economic empowerment specialist to develop and achieve individualized employment and financial goals. The economic empowerment specialists will advise participants on financial planning, budgeting, and getting a job following the completion of the program, in addition to other areas related to improving financial literacy. The program also aims to foster community engagement, with participants getting involved in community projects and advocacy events focusing on critical issues such as homelessness prevention, voter engagement, and gang/gun violence prevention.

“Volunteers of America-Greater New York is proud to be a recipient of this YouthBuild grant, which will enable us to get young New Yorkers on the path towards meaningful employment,” said Jeffrey Ginsburg, President and CEO of VOA-GNY. “This program will provide life-changing opportunities for young people in the Bronx, which has the highest poverty rate in the state of New York.”

“The YouthBuild grant will allow VOA-GNY to expand our wealth-building services through a highly effective new employment training program,” said Anddy Perdomo, Assistant Vice President of Veteran Services and Economic Empowerment Initiatives at VOA-GNY. “We will not only provide employment training, but also a full suite of financial guidance and career supports to help young people who would otherwise face steep barriers to economic empowerment kickstart sustainable, wealth-building careers in an in-demand field.”