On Tuesday, July 17, the NYC Department of Probation (DOP) celebrated the launch of the Jamaica Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON), which is located at 162-24 Jamaica Avenue.
DOP Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi was joined at the lectern by Councilmember Ruben Wills, Community Board 12 District Manager Yvonne Reddick, probation clients and Jamaica NeON staff. The audience included representatives from the many different organizations that are partnering with DOP on the NeON.
The Jamaica NeON is a community-based probation office that works with a network of local organizations, government agencies, businesses and community residents to link probation clients to nearby resources.
In December 2011, Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened the first NeON in Brownsville, Brooklyn. DOP anticipates opening additional NeONs in Staten Island, the South Bronx, East New York and Bedford Stuyvesant.
NeON is an important part of Bloomberg’s Young Men’s Initiative, which is designed to help black and Latino youth achieve their professional, educational, and personal goals.
