By Bill Parry
A Long Island City-based nonprofit organization that helps homeless men and women achieve economic independence through job training, work experience and a life-long support network graduated 47 more who have transitioned to full-time employment.
At a ceremony last week the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless celebrated the achievements of the graduates, who used the skills they learned and the certifications they earned during their participation in ACE’s four-to-six- month program to find employment in a wide range of sectors, including: hospitality, maintenance, sanitation, food services, social services and distribution.
“Forty-seven more New Yorkers will be heading to work tomorrow morning instead of to a program,” ACE Executive Martin James Martin said. “These are some of the hardest working people that I ever met and I am inspired by their achievements. ACE will continue to work closely with them to ensure they maintain their employment and seek opportunities to advance in their professions.”
Each graduate became a member of ACE’s employment retention program, Project Stay, in which staff help the newly employed individuals maintain their jobs and increase their earning capacity. ACE Graduate William Lester, who is now employed full-time as a construction worker, said, “ACE put my life in the right direction and guided me to where I can navigate my own calling.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
