Employment Law: Brooklyn Co Tries To Decrease Gun Violence By Going Green

Brooklyn startup BlocPower is trying to use the business of greening the city to mitigate gun violence in hard hit communities.

BlocPower’s “Civilian Climate Corps” program began in September, after the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) gave them a $37 million contract – out of federal money from the $2.2 billion COVID stimulus package, known as the CARES Act. The program provides paid, on-the-job training to New Yorkers who live in neighborhoods with high rates of gun violence, with goal of starting on a career in New York’s green construction and clean energy trades.

BlocPower’s program explicitly targets these neighborhoods, partnering with community organizations to recruit trainees. 80% participants didn’t have regular employment prior to joining the program, often due to pandemic-related job losses. A significant number of trainees are reentering society after serving prison terms.

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/brooklyn-startup-addresses-gun-violence-climate-jobs