Rosenthal Unveil Program for Youth in Public Housing

Council member Gale Brewer, in conjunction with assembly member Linda B. Rosenthal, announced a development program for young people living in the NYCHA housing projects Amsterdam Houses and Amsterdam Addition.

The program, known as COFA (Creating Opportunities for Amsterdam) will use targeted door-to-door recruitment to reach out to young people living in the Amsterdam housing.

Speaker Adrienne Adams recently funded a new initiative allocating $100,000 to city council districts to fund community safety and victim services programs; Brewer’s office chose to use those funds towards COFA.

“I recognize that the absence of a negative outcome does not ensure that our young people are on track for economic self-sufficiency,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer.

“COFA will connect youth in public housing — especially those who have been historically marginalized, underserved, and cut off from opportunities—to job experiences, learning opportunities, professional networks, and supportive guidance to create and pursue meaningful life plans.”

The program is a collaboration between Positive Influence, a long-running youth program that originated in the Amsterdam Houses themselves, and nonprofit Goddard Riverside. In addition to the $100,000 allocated by Speaker Adams’ Community Safety and Victims Service Initiative, Assembly Member Rosenthal is contributing $125,000 to the program.

“Every young person deserves an opportunity to reach their fullest potential regardless of where they were born and who they were born to,” said Roderick Jones, Executive Director of Goddard Riverside. “I was the young people we seek to engage, and I believe that they can do far better with the right support.”

Programs offered will include job application support; workforce training; paid internships; job fairs and recruitment events; athletics, recreation and arts activities; homework help; school enrollment and college application support; college visits; and more.