Mayoral Candidates Celebrate Ready, Willing & Able Graduates
NEW YORK, NY— On Wednesday, April 28th, New York City’s Mayoral candidates celebrated over 200 formerly homeless and incarcerated men who have obtained full-time employment and permanent housing through The Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing & Able program.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, former Commissioner for the New York City Sanitation Department Kathryn Garcia, and City Council Member Robert Cornegy delivered remarks alongside staff and new graduates of The Doe Fund. The event was held in-person outside The Doe Fund’s Harlem Center for Opportunity.
The success of these graduates — despite being among those hardest hit by the pandemic — demonstrates that the combination of paid work in social enterprise, transitional job training, housing, and wraparound social services offered by Ready, Willing & Able provide a pathway to recovery for NYC. Transitional programs like Ready, Willing & Able are essential to prepare marginalized populations for the employment opportunities that will become available as our city rebounds from the pandemic. A truly inclusive recovery requires investment in human capital.
“I have been lucky enough to get to know The Doe Fund and the tremendous work they do in helping people get opportunity for a fresh start, and for those who are unhoused to get back on their feet in housing that gives them the dignity they deserve,” said Kathryn Garcia. “The Doe Fund’s motto is ‘Work Works,’ and that’s exactly the mentality and example that our next Mayor needs to take to City Hall.”
Eric Adams said, “What The Doe Fund continues to say is that the bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn. Today, these graduates are making the turn.”
He continued, “I could be wearing this cap and gown right now, because just like you, people invested in me when I was at my lowest. There’s no reason I’m not standing with you as a graduate of The Doe Fund. That speaks to the potential of you becoming the next Borough President. The potential of you standing at this microphone on the verge of becoming the next Mayor. From being arrested in the Precinct to being days away from being in charge of the Police Department. I’m so proud of this organization and this institution.”
“How are we as a city going to solve the seemingly unsolvable problems? The most esteemed scholars struggle with answers on how to beat homelessness. They should listen to you,” Robert Cornegy, Jr. said of The Doe Fund and its newest graduates. “Policy analysts and politicians struggle with answers on how to help people come out of incarceration with dignity. They should listen to you.”
“This graduation is momentous,” said Harriet McDonald, President of The Doe Fund. “It’s the first we’ve had since COVID-19. In response, we pivoted to job training and placements in ‘pandemic-proof’ fields, created a remote learning infrastructure for our vocational courses, and began classes for skilled trades facing hiring shortages. Meanwhile, we’re moving forward on developing hundreds of thousands of square feet of first-rung affordable and supportive housing.”
