REMARKS
Council Member Diana Ayala's opening remarks on HRA career services hearing
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173 sec
Council Member Diana Ayala, as Chair of the General Welfare Committee, opens the hearing on the Human Resources Administration's (HRA) Career Services Offerings.
She provides an overview of HRA's career services programs, recent performance data, and key issues to be addressed during the hearing.
- Ayala highlights the main career services programs offered by HRA since 2017, including Career Compass, Youth Pathways, and Career Advance.
- She notes that HRA helped over 9,000 clients obtain employment in fiscal year 2023 and is on track to help over 10,000 in fiscal year 2024.
- The hearing aims to address the efficacy of these programs, future plans, and concerns about the resumption of work requirements for cash assistance clients.
Diana I. Ayala
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Thank you.
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Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's hearing.
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My name is Diana Ayala, and I am the deputy speaker of the New York City Council and the Chair of the General Warfare Committee.
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Today, we are holding an oversight hearing on the Human Resource Administration Career Services Offerings.
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HRA Career Services offer cash assistance clients opportunities to help them increase their job skills and build a career.
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Since 2017 career services have consisted of 3 main program delivered by contracted providers, career compass for adult clients, youth pathways for clients age eighteen to twenty four, and career grounds for clients interested in specific industries or with specific needs such as limited English proficiency.
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HRA also matches employers with job seekers through HRA Business Link, partners with Quni to support HRA clients who are enrolled in Quni Schools, delivers sector specific workforce development programs in construction, and helps match clients aged 16 to 24 with paid internships in nonprofit organizations throughout the city.
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According to most the most recent mayor's preliminary management report, HRE helped over 9000 clients obtain employment in fiscal year 2023.
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As of April 2024, HRA has has was on track to help over 10,000 clients in fiscal year 24.
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Beyond this, there is little other available data about efficacy of these programs.
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Today, we seek to better understand HRA's career services program and learn more about the immediate and long term outcomes that it has achieved over the last 7 years.
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We also want to delve into HRA's plans for the future and to address the resumption of work requirements for cash assistance clients.
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Prior to the pandemic, cash assistance clients were required to participate in work related activities.
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However, in March 2020, Otsuka suspended this requirement given the public health crisis.
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Advocates have since expressed concerns that the new rules would result in exacerbating existing bureaucratic issues at HRA and in people losing their benefits.
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It is therefore critical to better understand how career services are administered, the outcomes that HRA has achieved over the last decade, and how the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers can best be met within the framework of any state and federal requirements.
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I look forward to hearing from the administration and advocates today and gathering feedback on this oversight topic.
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I would acknowledge my colleagues at this time, but not hear yet, but we will acknowledge them as they trickle in.
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But I'd also like to thank my committee staff who worked really hard to prepare this hearing.
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I'm mensa Kilawan, senior legislative council, Nina Rosenberg, policy analyst, Julia Paramus, unihead, Elizabeth Childers Garcia, finance analyst, Andres Cole data analyst, and finally, my staff, Elsie And Garazione, chief of staff.
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I would now like to turn it over to our policy analyst who is who are in members of the administration.