February 1, 2022

Housing Career Pathways is a groundbreaking, scalable program that connects New Yorkers to quality, permanent jobs in affordable housing

New York, NY – Today, Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise), in collaboration with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced the selection of Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) as the official workforce provider for Housing Career Pathways.

Housing Career Pathways is a new City initiative through which BWI will work with Enterprise, HPD, NYCHA, and a broader set of partners to refine and implement a groundbreaking, scalable program to train and connect New Yorkers with low incomes to a range of quality, permanent jobs in affordable housing development, management, and preservation. The initiative aims to leverage the economic engine created by affordable housing to connect New Yorkers residing in this type of home with well-paying jobs and career pathways and maximize the benefits of affordable housing. The City’s affordable housing plan generates thousands of jobs every year.

“After a competitive selection process, we’re confident that Brooklyn Workforce Innovations is the ideal provider for Housing Career Pathways, and we look forward to seeing this innovative program thrive with their partnership,” said Michelle Mulcahy, Director, Public Housing and Vulnerable Populations at Enterprise. “The affordable housing industry generates thousands of jobs, from property management positions to landscapers, and providing New Yorkers with low incomes the tools to prepare for and access these positions is a long overdue step toward decreasing barriers to building careers in the housing sector. We look forward to working with all of our partners to pilot this innovative initiative.”

“The New York City Housing Authority is pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) under Housing Careers Pathways (HCP) and welcome them as the official workforce provider,” said Sideya Sherman, NYCHA’s Executive Vice President of Community Engagement & Partnerships. “We are confident that BWI has the experience and skill set needed to refine and implement a comprehensive training program that will best prepare NYCHA residents and other low-income New Yorkers for entry-level careers in the expansive affordable housing industry.”

“The City’s robust affordable housing engine is also a powerful economic force, generating thousands of jobs every year.  Through the new Housing Career Pathways initiative, we are looking to connect residents of affordable housing with well-paying jobs in the industry, increasing economic opportunity for New Yorkers with low incomes,” said Acting HPD Commissioner AnnMarie Santiago. “Brooklyn Workforce Innovations has more than two decades of experience empowering New Yorkers with significant barriers to employment, and with NYCHA, we are excited about supporting this initiative spearheaded by Enterprise and look forward to serving more New Yorkers in the future.”

"BWI has been building effective pathways to promising jobs for over 20 years. Our work is centered around creating access for jobseekers who have struggled to connect to careers, and the programs we develop rely on close and committed partnerships," said Aaron Shiffman, Executive Director, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations. “Housing Career Pathways is a great way to begin to leverage the success of the affordable housing industry into career opportunities for jobseekers with barriers to employment. We are proud to once again partner with NYCHA and continue our work with Enterprise and HPD to bring this initiative to life."

“Affordable housing has always been an engine for growth,” said Emily Kurtz, VP of Housing at RiseBoro Community Partnership. “As one of the leading providers of housing in New York City, we’re proud to participate in a program that will open up new opportunities for New Yorkers seeking stability in a fast-changing economic environment.”

“Wavecrest Management is delighted to be part of this important initiative, and as a member of the Housing Career Pathways committee, along with my colleagues Jodi Ann George and Michelle Rico, we are thrilled to be making a difference for low-income New Yorkers," said Christina Harsch, Director of Leasing and Compliance at Wavecrest Management. "We know that the future of affordable housing rests in the hands of future generations taking part in this vital industry, which can only be enhanced and improved by educating and supporting those that will bring new ideas and innovation for years to come.”

“We have seen firsthand how workforce development opportunities strengthen communities,” said Nikki Wernick, Senior Vice President of Residential Leasing and Compliance, C+C Apartment Management. “This partnership is a great example of how we can not only continue to provide high quality affordable housing where it’s needed but also create a pipeline of jobs connected to our projects. We look forward to working with Enterprise, HPD and NYCHA on getting this vital initiative underway.”

Housing Career Pathways aims to deliver a skills training program that helps affordable housing organizations address some of their unmet staffing needs by sourcing hires from the communities they serve through their housing portfolios, and at the same time, offer new career path opportunities to job-seeking residents. The initiative also seeks to help individuals and communities historically earning lower wages to enter the housing industry through entry-level, administrative roles that can lead to higher-skill, better-paying jobs within property management. 

Enterprise Community Partners, in collaboration with HPD and NYCHA, 18 housing providers, and 3 workforce providers, conducted the initial research and design for Housing Career Pathways and issued a request for proposals to select a workforce provider. BWI is now tasked with refining the program and engagement strategy; conducting outreach and recruiting participants; and launching the program’s first 15-person cohort.

BWI will further develop a curriculum consisting of job readiness skills, skills training based on the anticipated hiring pipeline, placement, retention, and career advancement strategies. The program will involve classroom training as well as internships, job placement, and post-placement support. By the end of the pilot cohort, BWI will also provide an assessment to inform the future replication and scaling for this innovative initiative.

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Enterprise is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. We support community development organizations on the ground, aggregate and invest capital for impact, advance housing policy at every level of government, and build and manage communities ourselves. Since 1982, we have invested $44 billion and created 781,000 homes across all 50 states – all to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging. Join us at enterprisecommunity.org.

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners. For full details visit nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) (“NYCHA” or the “Authority”) provides affordable housing to 380,299 authorized residents in over 177,611 apartments within 335 housing developments. NYCHA serves 359,593 authorized residents in over 168,100 apartments within 285 housing developments through the conventional public housing program (Section 9) and 20,706 authorized residents in 9,511 units within 50 developments that have been converted to PACT/RAD. Through federal rent subsidies (Section 8 Leased Housing Program), NYCHA also assists approximately 77,663 families in locating and renting units. In addition, NYCHA facilitates access to social services through a variety of programs. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha, and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook/nycha and www.twitter.com/NYCHA

Brooklyn Workforce Innovations helps New Yorkers with significant barriers to employment access careers through sector-focused skills training, access to employer-recognized credentials, job placement, and career development support. Their programs counter prevailing market inequalities, especially those based on race or gender, and contribute to a broader movement for economic justice. BWI launched in 2000 with a single skills training program and has since developed six additional programs and helped over 10,000 New Yorkers start upwardly mobile careers. For more information, visit https://bwiny.org/.

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