Audible – 91��Ƭ

Harmony House Thanks Donors, Community Partners

Michelle Lang — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 16:45:09 +0000

Dear Donors and Community Partners:

Harmony House management and the families would like to take a moment to express our deep appreciation for all the support and aid that have been offered in these unprecedented times. Even during a period of nationwide social and economic unrest, and a statewide quarantine that has disrupted the lives of so many, the various organizations and individuals have taken the time to demonstrate to those most vulnerable in our community that they are not forgotten and that their health and wellbeing matter.

Harmony House is a transitional housing program with the primary goal of helping families move from homelessness to permanent housing and from dependency to self-sufficiency. With the capacity to house 102 families in individual apartment units and a host of on-site social services, Harmony House provides much more than a shelter. It offers stability to families facing seemingly insurmountable barriers and enables them to restore their lives.

Since the COVID-19 shutdown began in late March 2020, Harmony House has received the following donations from our generous supporters:

World Central Kitchen, in partnership with Audible, has made over 70 trips to Harmony House. From early May to the end of June, they have delivered 5,580 meals.
Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF) has increased its usual monthly donation of perishable and non-perishable goods to a weekly delivery of donations during the shutdown.
The National Council of Jewish Women in collaboration with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey continues to support us through their donation of sanitary napkins, totaling 81 boxes annually.

Throughout the year, the following supporters have also been a beacon of support and hope to our families:

Margaret Strong from St. Teresa’s in Summit, N.J., has provided our families with Christmas gifts for all the children.
Sally Milad has continuously provided our families with back-to-school haircuts and hairdos for all children year after year.
Sean Lewis from Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, N.J., provides Christmas gifts for our children.
Ana Osario from Newark Public Schools has graciously provided toiletry items for men and women, as well as food donations.

These donations have been incredibly important to and gratefully received by our families. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a crisis with multiple dimensions: an economic catastrophe, a fear for health and life itself and above all uncertainty of what the future holds and how to move forward. Uncertainty and economic fragility already plagued our residents before the pandemic hit, and the current state has only made it that much harder for our residents to get back on their feet. On behalf of Harmony House staff and residents, we truly cannot thank you enough for doing what you can to help.

Amidst all the turmoil, a silver lining can perhaps be found in how the pandemic has brought communities together. All across the nation, everyone from community residents at the grassroots level to large corporations have come together to form relief funds and support networks to ensure that we all come through this crisis whole. I hope that we are able to sustain this momentum even once COVID-19 is a problem of the past and continue to lend each other a helping hand. Altruism and compassion are as much a part of a healthy society as vaccines and businesses.

Sincerely,
Yonette Fredericks
Director of Harmony House

91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center Becomes First Newark 2020 Hub

Michelle Lang — Fri, 25 May 2018 20:27:24 +0000

91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center has become the first community hub of the Newark 2020 initiative, which aims to connect 2,020 Newark residents to employment that provides family sustainable wages by the end of 2020.

As a hub, 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center is responsible for reaching out to individuals who signed up and submitted information through the Newark 2020 website, assessing their educational and professional backgrounds and connecting them to employment opportunities.

“We are serving as the liaison between Newark 2020 applicants and employers,” said 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center Director Rodney Brutton.

Another part of being a community hub is providing employability skills training, helping candidates with resumes, practicing interviews and offering assistance in preparation for employment opportunities.

“We’re happy to have been selected as a community hub,” Brutton said. “It’s exciting.”

Mayor Ras Baraka announced the Newark 2020 initiative last year. It has support from a number of city employers, including Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, PSE&G, Audible, Prudential, RWJBarnabas Health, NJIT, Rutgers-Newark, Panasonic, United Airlines and 91��Ƭ. The employers have agreed to hire a certain number of Newark residents.

91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center is in a good position to prepare applicants for jobs because as an accredited post-secondary career and technical school, it offers programs that help students receive certifications in their field of study.

“If a Newark 2020 applicant isn’t qualified for a job but is interested in training, we’ll be able to help them,” Brutton said.

Newark 2020 Project Director Travis Reid said 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center was chosen as the first community hub based on the results of a competitive bidding process and subsequent follow-up interviews with staff. Community hubs will help candidates develop resumes, provide best-in-practice case management to clients and facilitate effective matches between job seekers and employers.

“91��Ƭ’s existing infrastructure and deep experience in workforce development led to their number one ranking in a very competitive pool of respondents to our RFP,” Reid said.

Greater Newark LISC was part of the Newark 2020 selection and onboarding process for 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center as a community hub. Its funding is providing for the start of Newark 2020 operations there. The organization also provides funding and technical support for 91��Ƭ’s Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities program.

“Greater Newark LISC is proud to have served as a partner in the Newark 2020 initiative since its inception, and we are especially pleased to be a part of the launch alongside the LISC Bridges to Careers Opportunity work at 91��Ƭ, all in alignment with the living wage employment landscape efforts here in Newark,” said Greater Newark LISC Program Officer Jerrah Crowder.

Newark 2020 applicants came to 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center May 14 for an orientation. They got to hear more about the initiative from Reid and Brutton and met with Hub Representative Aziza Johnson and Program Assistant Quameria Edwards.

While Reid explained that employers are not required to grant interviews, those looking for employment at companies that have committed to Newark 2020 are better positioned to yield opportunities.

“Newark 2020 strategically leverages employer commitments to hiring locally to benefit the city’s labor force,” Reid said. “Community hubs are critically important because they help facilitate matches that mutually benefit job seekers and employers.”

Newark 2020 is open to all Newark residents, regardless of employment level. At the orientation, participants had a variety of career interests, including customer service, health care, communications, building maintenance and human resources.

Those interested in participating in Newark 2020 should visit and register. For more information about 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center and its course offerings, or call 973-824-6484.

NCC Joins Newark 2020 Initiative To Reduce City Unemployment

Michelle Lang — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 14:49:01 +0000

91��Ƭ Director of Special Projects Richard Cammarieri speaks during the launch of the Newark 2020 initiative June 26. Photo courtesy of the City of Newark.

91��Ƭ is a partner in the Newark 2020 initiative, which aims to reduce unemployment and poverty in the city by connecting residents to a variety of job opportunities in Newark.
The City of Newark, the city’s business community, higher education and medical institutions, clergy, philanthropies and workforce development programs have all come together for the cause, which aims to hire 2,020 Newark residents by the year 2020.
Anchor institutions, which have committed to hiring a certain number of Newark residents, include Audible, Panasonic, Prudential, PSE&G, Rutgers University and RWJBarnabas Health.
NCC’s role in the initiative is to connect Newark residents to jobs, which includes helping them get the skills to obtain employment. That’s where the 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center comes in.
“Newark 2020 is a premiere opportunity to connect Newark residents to career opportunities and jobs that anchor institutions are recruiting for,” said Workforce Director Rodney Brutton. He believes Workforce can close the skills gap that exists as a barrier for some city residents to get gainful employment.
“If Beth Israel is hiring five nurse assistants, but they need to have certifications and if people don’t have the skills, that’s where we come in,” Brutton said.
The Workforce Development Center offers job training in Allied Health, Automotive Technician, Building Trades and Culinary Arts.
91��Ƭ Director of Special Projects Richard Cammarieri calls the Newark 2020 initiative “extremely ambitious” but is hopeful for its success because the process has been much more strategic than others like it in the past.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is a big proponent of the initiative, which he announced at a press conference June 26 with many representatives from involved organizations, including NCC’s Cammarieri.

Partners in the Newark 2020 initiative at the launch June 26, including 91��Ƭ Director of Special Projects Richard Cammarieri. Photo courtesy of the City of Newark.

If successful, the initiative will not only help Newark residents find meaningful employment close to home, but Brutton said it will also benefit the Workforce Development Center.
“Newark 2020 will help Workforce with the marketing of programs and will help increase enrollment,” he said. “Part of the initiative is to market where people can go to get training.”
Cammarieri added that NCC will make sure all its residents and program participants are aware when hiring is happening through Newark 2020 so they have the opportunity to apply.
“The potential is great,” he said of the program.
The website has been set up as a place where interested residents can fill out a profile and upload a resume. A full launch of the website is expected this fall.
More than 100 people have already filled out information, with varying geographical locations and income levels, according to Cammarieri. Another goal of Newark 2020 is to have job offerings for various skill levels so residents can find entry level, mid level and high level positions.
“The bottom line for Newark residents is they have to see results. They have seen things like this before,” Cammarieri said. “The time is right. There’s good leadership. Hopefully this will work.”
Cammarieri is representing 91��Ƭ on the Newark 2020 Steering Committee, as well as the Subcommittee on Community and Faith Outreach and the Subcommittee on Policy and Workforce System Reform. Brutton serves on three Newark 2020 subcommittees: Training and Education, Job Placement and Career Pathways and Policy and Workforce System Reform.
Residents interested in learning more about the training offered by the 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center should visit newcommunity.org or call 973-824-6484. Those interested in getting more information about the Newark 2020 initiative can visit .