FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2019
CONTACT: media@endgbv.nyc.gov

NYC Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) Opens the Learning Lab, A State-of-the-Art Training Space for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

The ENDGBV Learning Lab will be the site of skills-based trainings for economic empowerment programs for survivors and clients of the New York City Family Justice Centers (FJCs)

NEW YORK, NY — Today, the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) officially opened its Learning Lab at the NYC Family Justice Center in Manhattan, a new state-of-art training facility that will be the site of economic empowerment programming for survivors of gender-based violence to help build long-term economic stability.

The training room was built through partnerships with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DCC), the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and the NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT). It features twenty-six individual computer stations and a smart board for class instruction, a hearing loop device to support clients who are hearing impaired, and a new breakout lounge space for clients and users of the lab.

The Learning Lab is a critical component of the economic empowerment work that is part of the programming available to clients through the NYC Family Justice Centers. ENDGBV has enhanced economic empowerment programming for clients over the last couple years, to include programs related to financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and job readiness. Sanctuary for Families, a long-standing partner of the NYC Family Justice Centers, is the first to host a class in the Learning Lab and graduate a class using the space.

“Survivors of gender-based violence face many barriers when deciding how they can best keep themselves safe, and this includes finding employment,” said Cecile Noel, Commissioner of ENDGBV. “The Learning Lab offers survivors the opportunity to build important skills and expertise through the programming of the FJC’s dedicated on-site partners. This initiative is a continuation of the de Blasio administration’s efforts to ensuring that survivors of gender-based violence in NYC have access to systematic supports and services, increasing their ability to find safety and stability for themselves and their children.”

“Every survivor deserves access to inclusive resources and a safe environment as they work to reclaim their lives,” said Cy Vance Jr., District Attorney of New York County. “With the creation of the Learning Lab, a critical new component of economic empowerment programming, New York City continues to lead the nation on innovative responses to gender-based violence. I thank Mayor de Blasio, his Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, as well as DDC, DCAS, and DOITT, for their partnership to deliver increased safety and economic security to survivors.”

“Career readiness and intensive skills training are essential components of Sanctuary for Families’ approach to empowering survivors of gender violence to lives of safety, security, and self-sufficiency, said the Honorable Judy Harris Kluger, Executive Director of Sanctuary for Families. “Since its founding in 2011, our Economic Empowerment Program has equipped hundreds of clients with skills that meet marketplace needs, leading to career-track living wage jobs. The new, modern Learning Lab at the Manhattan Family Justice Center has enabled us to expand the capacity of this successful program by 50 percent and offers easier access to people who need services. We congratulate our first graduating class and thank the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, The Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, the Department of Design and Construction, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications for making this possible.”

The NYC Family Justice Centers are co‐located multidisciplinary service centers providing vital social services, civil legal, and criminal justice assistance for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence and their children—all under one roof. Located in all five boroughs, FJCs are safe, caring environments where key City agencies, community-based social and civil legal services providers, and District Attorney's Offices are located on-site to make it easier for survivors to get help. In 2018, there were 65,855 client visits to FJCs across the five boroughs.

“Family Justice Centers are one-stop providers of comprehensive services to domestic violence victims, and now clients will have access to an educational center that will improve their job prospects and help them build better lives,“ said Lorraine Grillo, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Design and Construction. “DDC is very proud of its partnership with ENDGBV and of the work it has done at the City’s various Family Justice Centers.”

“Addressing the scourge of domestic and gender-based violence must include economic empowerment for its survivors,” said Lisette Camilo, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services. “This training center offers an important resource to help survivors achieve financial independence and job readiness, key steps to building a safer and more secure future.”

“DoITT is honored to work alongside the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, DCC, and DCAS to support ENDGBV’s Learning Lab,” said Eusebio Formoso, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. “Access to technology is essential for survivors, and we are proud to support this important cause.”

About ENDGBV:

The Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence develops policies and programs, provides training and prevention education, conducts research and evaluations, performs community outreach, and operates the New York City Family Justice Centers. We collaborate with City agencies and community stakeholders to ensure access to inclusive services for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence (GBV). GBV can include intimate partner and family violence, elder abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.

ENDGBV was expanded by a Mayoral mandate in 2018, and is charged with prioritizing, developing, and expanding services for survivors of sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. Services include a citywide outreach team, enhanced trainings for City agencies and community stakeholders, the creation of opportunities for data collection and information sharing, and developing a legislative agenda for domestic and gender-based violence.

For more information, visit nyc.gov/ENDGBV or visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.