Mayor Adams Announces $15 Million Investment to Connect 1,500 Justice-Involved and Impacted New Yorkers to Job Opportunities

February 6, 2025

Watch video here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuk0skFP7_Y

Community Resource for Employment and Development to Connect  
New Yorkers to Paid Internships in In-Demand, Emerging Sectors 

Participants Will Have Access to Support Services, Including  
Mental Health Counseling, Housing, Academics, and Health Care 

Announcement Comes as City Celebrates Breaking All-Time High Jobs Record for  
Eighth Time Since Start of Administration, Unemployment Down Across All Demographics 

Part of Adams Administration’s “Jobs Week,” Highlighting City’s Effort to  
Ensure Opportunity Reaches Every Borough, Block, and Neighborhood, and  
Working-Class Families Have Access to Good-Paying Jobs 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today continued “Jobs Week ” by announcing the Community Resources for Employment and Development (CRED) initiative, a new $15 million workforce program for participants, ages 18-40, involved in the criminal justice system who are at risk of involvement in community violence or residing in communities with the highest rates of gun violence. Overseen by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and its network of providers, CRED will offer work readiness training, occupational training, and internships for in-demand, emerging sectors for up to 24 weeks, as well as job placement within a three-month follow-up period. CRED offers holistic support to participants, providing access to mental health counseling, housing, academic support, and health care access. Today’s announcement comes as the city, last week, celebrated breaking the all-time high jobs record for the eighth time and unemployment going down across all demographics, since the start of the Adams administration. This week, the Adams administration is celebrating “Jobs Week,” highlighting the city’s efforts to ensure job opportunities reaches every borough, block, and neighborhood and advancing Mayor Adams’ 2025 State of the City commitment to make New York City the best, more affordable place to raise a family. 

“The best deterrent to crime and keeping communities safe is simple: a good-paying job. CRED is that deterrent, investing in communities most impacted by gun violence and providing the holistic support needed to help justice-impacted New Yorkers enter the workforce,” said Mayor Adams. “All New Yorkers — no matter their past — should be able to receive the training and resources they need to secure a job. Our ‘Jobs Week’ is highlighting that a job is more than just a way to earn a living — it provides purpose, a sense of pride, and the means to keep people on the right path.” 

“DYCD is excited to introduce CRED to our robust workforce development programming and expand those opportunities to include New Yorkers who are exposed to community violence, have been justice-involved, or reside in Gun Violence Task Force priority precincts,” said DYCD Commissioner Keith Howard. “Public safety and ensuring New York is the best place to raise a family are top priorities of Mayor Adams, and programs like CRED—offering a variety of paid trainings, internships, and opportunity for full time employment—are doing just that.” 

CRED is expected to serve 1,500 participants over Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, and FY26. Participants will receive up to 24 weeks or 600 hours of paid training and internships at $20 per hour in high-demand career fields, including: 

• Industrial and Infrastructure  
• Service  
• Media & Entertainment  
• Health Care  
• Technology 
• Education/Nonprofit  

New Yorkers interested in participating in CRED should visit DYCD's homepage for updates beginning in mid-February. 

The Adams administration has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in creating good-paying, family-sustaining, public- and private-sector jobs for New Yorkers. The New York City Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce (NYC Talent) announced that, last year, nearly 8,500 job-seeking New Yorkers were connected to employment, free training, and workforce development resources over six months through the through Mayor Adams’ “Jobs NYC” initiative. Jobs NYC is a multi-pronged citywide effort to reduce barriers to economic opportunities and deliver workforce development services directly to communities across the five boroughs that are experiencing high unemployment. Thanks to efforts like Jobs NYC, the city has celebrated an over 20 percent reduction in Black and Latino unemployment since the start of the Adams administration. To find job opportunities, free training, and employment resources, New Yorkers can visit the Jobs NYC website. 

The administration has also launched and advanced transformative projects in all five boroughs to support job creation, including projects ranging from the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, to the Brooklyn Army Terminal and Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Brooklyn, to SPARC Kips Bay in Manhattan, to Willets Point in Queens, to the North Shore Action Plan on Staten Island. Cumulatively, these projects will create tens of thousands of permanent and temporary construction jobs, generate more than $100 billion in long-term economic impact for the city, and cultivate good-paying, 21st-century job opportunities.  

Additionally, last year, NYC Talent announced the city delivered more than 15,000 apprenticeship opportunities to New Yorkers in less than three years — more than halfway to the administration’s moonshot goal of creating 30,000 apprenticeships by 2030 announced in Mayor Adams’ 2023 State of the City address. Further, last summer, NYC Talent announced expanded workforce services for New Yorkers with disabilities and celebrated a hiring milestone for the community. Finally, Mayor Adams, also last summer, announced the city’s first-ever community hiring effort, which leverages more than $1.2 billion in city contracts to create job opportunities for underserved New Yorkers. Community hiring allows the city to use its purchasing power, set hiring goals across city procurement contracts, and build on the success of existing project labor agreements and agency-specific hiring programs. 

“Vocational training is one of the most powerful public safety tools in our arsenal, reducing recidivism by 43%, and the CRED initiative is harnessing the power of this upstream solution,” said State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “This $15 million program will uplift 500 at-risk New Yorkers, providing them job training with wraparound support for their health, wellbeing, education, and housing. Under CRED, 500 more New Yorkers will be able to stand on their own two feet, put food on the table, and have a roof over their heads without turning to crime. It continues the administration’s signature work creating the most jobs in history and driving down crime, ensuring safety and economic empowerment for all New Yorkers.”

"The CRED initiative is a great way to steer people away from violence and crime and into productive employment," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "This initiative uses a holistic approach that understands that we cannot incarcerate our way out of all our problems. It will help create a workforce that is better prepared for the modern economy and that will help spur economic prosperity that will benefit our entire city." 

“Too often, justice-involved New Yorkers face barriers to opportunities that prevents them from rebuilding their lives, said Council Member Salaam. “The CRED initiative is a crucial investment in breaking that cycle by providing the tools, training, and support necessary for meaningful career pathways. In Harlem and across this city, we know that public safety and economic stability go hand in hand. I applaud Mayor Adams and the Department of Youth and Community Development for prioritizing workforce development that uplifts our communities and ensures that every New Yorker has a chance to thrive.” 

“Hundreds of our neighbors return each year to our communities after being incarcerated, and most want nothing more than reintegrating back into society, but lack of employment, housing and other services often stands in their way,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “I know from personal experience growing up in a tough neighborhood, and from years of life-changing work by our Re-entry Bureau, that having these opportunities is essential for future success. So, I commend Mayor Adams for this investment, which will assist individuals, help reduce recidivism and enhance both fairness and public safety.  

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