Paving paths to green jobs with HOPE

For 40 years, The HOPE program has equipped individuals from marginalized communities with the tools, self-assurance and support needed to secure meaningful employment. Having trained over 400 cohorts and thousands of graduates, HOPE empowers communities with disproportionately higher unemployment rates, with 90% of the program’s participants identifying as Black, indigenous and people of color. 

With a focus on embracing green jobs in the sustainability sector, the HOPE program recently unveiled its transformative five-year plan, which will help participants take advantage of opportunities in the green economy with careers that address systemic challenges in underserved neighborhoods. 

“We're going to go wide and deep. So in certain cases, we may do basic job readiness training across the city, but in certain cases, some of our green interventions will continue but they may be targeted in spaces where we want to be deeper, to have more impact, so we can support many residents,” said HOPE executive director Tracey Capers. 

Devised by Capers, the program’s latest five year strategic plan will build on its flagship seven-week HOPEworks programming which readies participants to gain OSHA-10 certification. Graduates of the program build essential skills and are placed in various industries, from clerical, customer service, security and healthcare. 

The newly released five year strategic plan will broaden the scope of HOPE’s available programs, tackle barriers of access, increase outreach and offer wraparound services for graduates. Part of the new plan includes preparing students prior to starting the program with GED tutoring, environmental literacy and both in-person and virtual workshops. In doing so, the program aims to reach over 1,000 participants annually. 

“The populations that are coming to HOPE and similar programs across the city have tremendous barriers. They're financially insecure, housing insecure, and HOPE is still an elusive concept. A seven- to 10-week program may just be too long for them or they can't see the value of it,” said Capers. “But it also could be about removing barriers that you may have that will prevent you, ultimately, from taking part in the program.” 

In terms of deepening HOPE’s commitment to environmental improvement – the program’s “Hope on the Road” strategic step aims to target training in environmental justice communities. 

An expansion of its suite of sustainability programs, HOPE currently offers training through the New York City CoolRoofs initiative to ease overheated vulnerable communities, green and clean HVAC installation and maintenance, in addition to sustainable construction skillbuilding for green infrastructure projects. Centering these projects in areas such as Hunts Point and Brownsville – the new programming will bring improvements directly to communities burdened by economic disparities and climate change. 

“We’re being more intentional in a few neighborhoods, like Hunts Point and perhaps in Brownsville, where we would do a range of green interventions using the individuals that we're training,” said Capers. “For example, when we paint the roofs of buildings, we're mitigating the urban heat island effect, and we're extending the life of the building, where we're reducing utility costs of the building, and ultimately for tenants in the building as well.”

Since last year, these programs oversaw 800 participants who stewarded 27 green spaces across New York City and removed 6,326 pounds of litter and plant material. The program’s CoolRoofs cohorts coated the rooftops of nearly 66 buildings and helped install the Field of Light at Freedom Plaza art display on Manhattan’s East Side. As part of efforts to prepare participants for in-demand green jobs, the strategic plan aims to launch new programs. 

HOPEworks programming also offers a comprehensive support system, which includes professional clothing, meals, mental health support and $50/week stipends. Through the new plan’s ‘HOPE for life’ strategy, HOPE aims to enhance alumni support to ensure career retention. 

“I think what’s amazing about HOPE is that we have a philosophy called ‘HOPE for life’. We want to be able to follow them into their future. Many of our graduates may not have healthy, robust networks they can rely on,” said Capers. 

“When they come to HOPE, they feel at home and they feel supported, they feel nurtured. What we want to do for the ‘HOPE for life’ network is really continue to provide them with ongoing job training, networking, support and professional development so they can move up in their careers, as well as in their lives.”