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CVH Leaders Remind City Officials That 'Back to Work' Doesn't Work

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On April 29, 2009, Community Voices Heard members held a press conference before participating in a New York City Council Joint Contracts and General Welfare Committees Oversight Hearing for the Back to Work program, a job search and job readiness program for work-ready public assistance recipients and applicants. The program costs $53 million a year, yet less than 10% of BTW participants stay in their job placements for 6 months. The contracts for BTW are up for renewal in June 2009.

In November 2008, CVH released a report entitled Missing the Mark: An Examination of NYC's Back to Work Program and Its Effectiveness In Meeting Employment Goals for Welfare Recipients. Since the release of this report, CVH has been advocating for much needed and long overdue changes for the program. Our efforts include encouraging New York City Council to hold this joint oversight hearing of the failing program.

New York City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and Contracts Committee Chair Letitia James were among those who attended the press conference in support of CVH as members gave statements to the press and handed out public education flyers before testifying at the hearing. Over a dozen of CVH members turned out for this event and packed the hearing room holding up signs that read: "Back to Work Doesn't Work!"

CVH members also delivered a giant Failure to Comply (FTC) notice to HRA executives, informing them that HRA Commissioner Robert Doar has failed to comply with his "scope of work" requirements through administering a program that fails to assist welfare recipients in their aspirations towards self-sufficiency. FTCs are punitive actions given to welfare recipients who fail to meet their work requirements, many of which are given in error.

Our press conference and hearing participation was covered in three media outlets: NY1, WNYC and Metro News. Below you can watch the news coverage of the event.

 

 

New York 1 - NY1

AttachmentSize
Press Release - post hearing.doc239 KB
James Graham Press Statement.doc25 KB
Janet Rivera Press Statement.doc27 KB
William CerfPress Statement.doc26.5 KB
Anita Walton Testimony.doc36 KB
Janet Rivera Testimony.doc38 KB
Jonathan Sawyer Testimony.doc37.5 KB
Sondra Youdelman Testimony.doc41.5 KB