Overview
In response to the largest rezoning in the history of New York City, spanning 93 blocks across the Jerome Avenue corridor in the Bronx, JobsFirstNYC has been working with community boards, employer intermediaries, local colleges, and housing advocacy and workforce training nonprofits to increase education and employment attainment and advocate for a diversity of quality jobs and businesses.
The Challenge
The Jerome Avenue Corridor has long been a hub for the automotive repair industry. The area’s rezoning plan, which was proposed by Mayor De Blasio and approved by the City Council in 2018, stands to drastically change the economic opportunities available to local residents. At the time of the partnership’s planning phase, community stakeholders highlighted the following challenges:
36%
OF RESIDENTS WERE SPENDING MORE THAN HALF OF THEIR INCOME ON RENT
40%
OF RESIDENTS WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 25
129,000
RESIDENTS HAD AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BARRIER
Approach
The Jerome Avenue Revitalization Collaborative (JARC) seeks to bring about inclusive economic growth and sustainability for local residents, employers, and workers impacted by the Jerome Avenue rezoning. JARC focuses on:
- Preparing current employers and people who work in the community for potential zoning-related impacts.
- Increasing the educational and employment attainment of local residents, particularly residents’ ability to access zoning-related economic opportunities.
- Advocating for a diversity of quality businesses in the neighborhood.
To achieve these goals, the collaborative has identified a three-pronged strategy that it is working toward in collaboration with community stakeholders:
- An employer-facing network that collaborates with developers, employers, and partners to provide residents with direct referrals to jobs.
- A local business hub that provides local business owners and employers with access to business development and support specific to their needs.
- Access to grants for low-income residents to complete educational and workforce development training.
Impact
Since its launch in 2021, JARC has worked with local businesses to provide a variety of supports, including access to Paycheck Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic and the provision of interns to help businesses with their operations. JARC partners have also pursued relationships with local developers while gathering information about local job opportunities and workforce training programs in order to create accessible on-ramps to education and jobs for residents. Additionally, JARC is working with major banks in the region to ensure that they are effectively supporting community members and businesses.
Our Partners
Related Publications
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