Standing up for Transitional Jobs Programs

Today, at a rally hosted by Community Voices Heard - a grassroots, membership-led organization of low income families with chapters in New York City, Yonkers, and the Mid-Hudson Valley - Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum voiced support for transitional jobs programs for low income New Yorkers. Gotbaum spoke about her experience as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation:

"When I was Parks Commissioner, I witnessed first-hand the lack of incentives and training for participants in the Work Experience Program (WEP). So I instituted an innovative welfare-to-work training program that provided guidance for people seeking full-time employment. As out-of-work New Yorkers turn to us for support during these tough economic times, we need to work to strengthen city services to make sure our programs actually help people. Unlike WEP, transitional jobs programs serve as a stepping stone, not an obstacle, to financial stability."

Here's a New York Times Op-Ed Gotbaum wrote as Commissioner in 1993: When Workfare is Just Make-Work

Read today's release