FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2013
Contact: media@nycha.nyc.gov, (212) 306-3322
NYCHA Launches New Website to Connect Residents to Critical Services
Information provided on education, employment, and financial empowerment
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has launched a new microsite to connect residents to critical economic opportunity services provided by NYCHA’s community partners. Services include adult education and training, employment, financial empowerment programs, as well as resident business development services in their neighborhoods. The site, www.OpportunityNYCHA.org is an extension of NYCHA's Office of Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES), whose mission is to support residents’ increased income and assets through programs, policies and collaborations.
As outlined in Plan NYCHA, the Authority’s roadmap for preservation, NYCHA is committed to connecting residents and communities to critical programs and services. The newly launched microsite will serve as a hub for NYCHA residents to find local resources in their communities that can help them to obtain a General Education Diploma (GED); enroll in a job-training program; create a budget and reduce debt; and advance their dreams of entrepreneurship into reality. OpportunityNYCHA.org is a tool that NYCHA residents can use to make informed decisions about economic opportunity services and connect to available resources within their neighborhood.
OpportunityNYCHA.org's goals are threefold:
REES currently has four Economic Opportunity Zones, or geographic areas, where local partners are based and are providing a host of education, employment, and financial services to NYCHA residents through a web-based referral system. Currently operating zones include downtown Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, the South Bronx, and Upper Manhattan. NYCHA is actively working to expand and launch more service coordination zones with partners citywide who either offer or aspire to offer services to public housing residents.
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About the New York City Housing Authority:
NYCHA is committed to increasing opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 334 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program.