Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless Inc.

ACE works alongside New Yorkers who have histories of homelessness, incarceration, and addiction, to help them reach their goals of full-time employment, economic independence, and family reunification.

ACE envisions a city where self-sufficiency, safe, affordable housing is a human right & everyone sh

Goal One: Our industry-leading workforce development programming includes contextualized hard and soft skills training, work experience, financial literacy courses

Goal Two: ACE's lifelong aftercare program, Project Stay, provides counseling, financial incentives, and individualized support to assist program graduates with their transition into self-sufficiency.

Goal Three: Looking forward, ACE will create peer-driven, substance use recovery services on-site by positioning peer leaders to offer assistance and strengthen support systems

The ability of any nonprofit to reach its desired goals depends on its key leaders reaching their highest potential. ACE has invested in our leadership team in the area of decision-making and maintaining and deepening ACE compassionate culture amidst rapid growth. Our staff takes capacity-building seminars and joins community round-table discussions to better understand: how do we scale our services while still treating each person in our programming as an individual. How do we efficiently provide services while still dedicating the extensive time that is needed and deserved for each individual who is seeking to overcome a traumatic history of incarceration, addiction, and homelessness.

Over the pandemic, we realized that the impacts on the community we serve are not only life changing, but they are life saving. In 2021, over 100,000 individuals died of overdose, a record number in the United States. The stress on the economy led to historic levels of job loss and food insecurity. At the same time, treatment programs were locking down and not admitting new patients. Consider that 96% of ACE participants and graduates suffer from substance use disorder, 78% have a criminal background, and 65% have been homeless in the last two years. The community we serve is at extremely high risk of negative outcomes from recidivism, homelessness, relapse, and death. Still, in spite of overwhelming odds, 86%x percent of ACE participants secured full-time employment in 2021, 100% of graduates transitioned off of public assistance, and 55% of 2020 graduates secured independent housing in 2021. This grant will allow us to expand our services to provide a stable, healthy, and committed safety net for hundreds more families in dire need each year. In addition to stable employment, our social enterprise is cleaning communities all over New York City, and thereby improving the quality of life for residents, workers, and visitors. These services are provided in hard to reach and traditionally under-served corridors of the outer boroughs of the city. When communities see that their neighborhood is being cared for, it instills a sense of pride, community, and hope that circumstances can improve. The impact of our programs on the community we serve is a 180 degree shift toward economic independence. ACE program outcomes represent parents coming home to their children in a positive setting, providing for their families, and contributing to their communities through positive relationships, work, local spending, and taxes.