Chelsea NYCHA Residents To Get Job Bank, Training Through New Program

CHELSEA, NY - A new job hiring and training initiative is in the works for NYCHA residents in Chelsea, New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher said Tuesday.

Dubbed the West Side Work Coalition (WSWC), the program will be available to residents of the NYCHA Elliott-Chelsea and Fulton Houses and offer a referral process for local jobs and customized job training based on the needs of employers.

“Access to job opportunities is essential to addressing economic inequality in our community,"Bottcher said in a statement. “We have an incredible array of partners across industries committed to offering opportunities to job seekers, and we will continue to grow our partnerships to sustain a Coalition that serves the West Side for years to come.”

Organizations guiding the initiative include Hudson Guild, Greenwich House and the New York City Employment and Training Coalition. Employers are slated to include Google, The High Line and the Garment District Alliance.

Funding for the WSWC will be supported by $25,000 from the FY2024 council budget which, combined with private funds, will support the creation of a full-time position at the New York City Employment and Training Coalition, a spokesperson for Bottcher told Patch. The position will also help recruit, refer and screen candidates for local job opportunities and track data regarding the number of job seekers who are referred, hired and retained.

The unemployment rate in Bottcher's council district is 3.6 percent, which is lower than both the Manhattan unemployment rate (3.8 percent) and New York City (4.4 percent) unemployment rate. Yet, per the Community Service Society's 2021 figures, unemployment rates in public housing are around 22 percent.

“Manhattan’s West Side has experienced significant economic growth over the past 20 years, with many companies of all sizes locating here, employing hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers,” Bottcher said in a tweet thread Wednesday.

“We must no longer look the other way while people on the West Side live in poverty amidst some of the wealthiest zip codes in America. This is how we ensure economic opportunity flows to all New Yorkers.”