Q&A
Future Force Career pilot program for young women of color in foster care
1:17:04
·
148 sec
Council Member Rita C. Joseph inquires about the new Future Force Career pilot program for young women of color in foster care, which received $150,000 in city funding for fiscal year 2025. Commissioner Jess Dannhauser provides information on the program's integration with existing services and outreach plans.
- The program will be integrated with Fair Futures work, focusing on career and vocational support.
- It will include coaching work and connect with existing city workforce opportunities.
- The program will be promoted through the Fair Futures network, which has reached 4,000 youth in foster care in the past year.
- Specific details about the number of young women to be served and the distribution across boroughs are yet to be determined.
Rita C. Joseph
1:17:04
Okay.
1:17:05
Thank you.
1:17:05
Chair, I can oh, thank you.
1:17:08
I know that in November of 2024, you added about $150,000 for city funding, for the fiscal 2025 to support a new pilot program called Future Force Career for Young Women of Color in Foster Care.
1:17:21
Can you tell us a bit more about this program?
1:17:23
When when is when is it going to start, and who will be the target of this project?
Jess Dannhauser
1:17:28
Yeah.
1:17:29
This is going to combine with all of our Fair Futures work, and we're going to be really focused on career and vocational with with this program.
1:17:38
Our division of family permanency services, has a dedicated vocational leader, Ray Singleton, who connects into chair Stevens will be happy about this.
1:17:50
We're not recreating.
1:17:52
We are connecting into all of the things that the city has so we can make sure that the the workforce, opportunities are there.
Rita C. Joseph
1:17:59
What services will you be providing?
Jess Dannhauser
1:18:02
This will include all of the the coaching work.
1:18:04
It's a small grant, right, so we're it really helps us, to integrate the vocational work into things like Fair Futures and other coaching support.
Rita C. Joseph
1:18:13
So that's
Jess Dannhauser
1:18:14
the city.
Rita C. Joseph
1:18:14
How many young women are you serving?
1:18:16
What's the cohort?
1:18:17
What's the number?
Jess Dannhauser
1:18:17
I have to get the number for you.
Rita C. Joseph
1:18:19
Thank you.
1:18:19
How do you plan on promoting this program and implementing it to youth throughout the foster care network?
1:18:23
How do you how are you gonna do the outreach for our foster youth?
Jess Dannhauser
1:18:26
Yeah.
1:18:27
I mean, one of the things that, we've reached 4,000 youth in foster care through Fair Futures, in the past year.
1:18:34
The Center For Fair Futures, which is a, sort of independent group that that you know well, has very regular, forums with, every single coach regardless of what agency they're assigned at, whatever for us security agency they're assigned at.
1:18:51
Ray's team is also involved there on the juvenile justice side for Fair Futures.
1:18:56
They're constantly doing additional trainings and support and getting information out.
1:19:00
They also have a convening monthly, with all of their provider stakeholders.
1:19:05
There's about a 100 organizations that have signed on.
1:19:08
They come together to share resources, and so we're gonna infuse it into that and make sure folks know what's available.
Rita C. Joseph
1:19:13
That will make sure Stevens very happy.
1:19:16
Are you planning to distribute this, across the 5 boroughs?
Jess Dannhauser
1:19:20
I don't know the answer to that.
1:19:21
I think, it depends on sort of where the, where the interest is from young people.
1:19:28
So we'll let you know how how it goes in the rollout.
Rita C. Joseph
1:19:30
Alright.
1:19:30
I'll come around.
1:19:31
Thank you, church.
