Reentry job programs offer paid transitional work, job readiness classes, industry certifications and placement with employers who hire people with records. Most are free. Under NYC's Fair Chance Act, most employers in the city can't ask about your conviction history until after they make you a conditional job offer.
Tip: bring a photo ID and your Social Security card to intake. Many programs need both before they can put you on payroll, so if you're missing one, start with the ID & Vital Documents listings.
Brooklyn is large, so check the address and travel time before you go, and ask whether the program takes walk-ins.
32 services based in Brooklyn, plus 55 citywide
Skills training, employer-recognized credentials, job placement and career development for people with significant barriers to employment; sector programs incl. cable installation, woodworking, TV/film production.
OASAS-licensed outpatient program for anyone, whether or not affected by the criminal legal system: counseling, medication-assisted treatment (methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone), mental health counseling, employment services, drug testing, HIV/hep C testing, court advocacy.
Free one-on-one resume and career help, mock interviews, job-search resources and small business support.
Reentry hotline, workforce services, housing support, elder reentry, court advocacy, sealing consultations, video visiting and family programs.
Offers financial counseling, money management help, and small business services, along with foreclosure and eviction prevention counseling for HPD Section 8 recipients, as part of a broader set of education, family support, health, housing, and free legal service programs.
Workforce development and small business services (Small Business line 718.226.0436).
Free HSE prep or college prep track with tutoring, counseling, parenting seminars, financial incentives and job preparation.
Job training and placement, plus GoodTemps temp-to-hire staffing for people with barriers to employment.
Provides comprehensive services to veterans and their families throughout NYC, including housing assistance, employment support, benefits advocacy, and counseling. Its Incarcerated Veterans Transitional Program (IVTP) offers pre-release planning, case management, employment assistance, and coordination with the VA and community partners for housing, healthcare, and reintegration support.
Helps veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness secure stable employment and housing through job readiness training, employment placement, case management, and connections to supportive resources.
Provides alternative-to-incarceration programming, mental health and substance use treatment, and youth education and employment services for court-involved New Yorkers.
Statewide network for people affected by mass incarceration: substance treatment and recovery communities, sentence mitigation, court advocacy, workforce readiness, civic restoration, emergency/transitional housing, youth mentoring.
Employment training centers for adults and youth offering HSE preparation, adult literacy, ESOL, foundational industry courses, and advanced hands-on training in fields such as construction, healthcare, and technology, plus job placement.
Culturally responsive mental health and substance use services for people ages 5 and up, including medication for addiction treatment (methadone and buprenorphine) for opioid use disorder, counseling, psychiatric and medical care, peer support, and harm reduction. Also offers job training and workforce development for adults.
Job skills training, work-readiness and job retention help, housing placement, benefits advocacy, support groups and educational referrals for adults with lived mental health experience.
Paid fellowship training formerly incarcerated young people in the food and hospitality industry.
Brooklyn DA reentry program offering counseling, substance use treatment, job help and transitional work for people on parole.
Runs the Kings County Re-entry Task Force, ComALERT and GRASP: Medicaid/SNAP enrollment, clothing, HSE classes, resumes, treatment, counseling; pays for lost birth certificates and NYS ID.
Connects NYC residents to jobs at Navy Yard businesses, with fair-chance hiring partners.
Offers a range of programs, services, resources, and events for adults ages 50 and over and their caregivers including lectures, health and wellness series, musical performances, art classes, classes on computer basics, and more. Also provides retirement literacy, estate planning workshops, and job-readiness programs.
Provides business development resources to underserved entrepreneurs who are trying to start or expand their small business. Offers comprehensive small business counseling and services ranging from business plan development to licensing and permit information.
Provides services to youth, both court-involved and non-court-involved, including case management, financial literacy and life skills workshops, civic engagement opportunities, community benefits projects, internships, unsubsidized job placements, and mentoring. Visit the website for more information and requirements.
Youth-focused justice center in Brownsville offering alternatives to detention, job training and community programs.
Job readiness, training and placement in Cypress Hills and East New York.
Offers support services to youth where mentees receive one-toone case management, general issue advocacy training, as well as wrap-around family support.
An 11-week paid apprenticeship program in culinary training for refugees, asylees, or survivors of human trafficking ages 18 and over, who are authorized to work in the US. Offered throughout the program are weekly English classes focused on culinary vocabulary and interview preparation, job-readiness workshops,...
Education and paid internships for court-involved youth.
Legal services, adult education, job help and organizing for immigrant and working-class communities.
Violence interruption, mentoring and youth employment in East New York.
Construction pre-apprenticeship that prepares justice-impacted and low-income New Yorkers for union apprenticeships.
Bushwick-based multi-service agency with workforce, housing, senior and youth programs.
Food pantry, urban farms and workforce programs in Brooklyn.
These serve people from every borough, often by phone, online or at more than one office.
Provides free legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers on housing, civil rights, disability rights, aging rights, bankruptcy, tax, consumer, employment, government benefits, and kinship care matters, including advice, counsel, and representation to help people with past criminal records re-enter the workforce.
Career counseling, resume help, job placement, and training in food service, healthcare, construction, tech and more; training grants available.
Workforce development and financial empowerment for NYCHA residents: job readiness, training, placement and retention, financial counseling, mental health services, career planning.
Free fidelity bond for employees with conviction records and others facing hiring barriers; default $5,000, up to $25,000, for six months (renewable). Employer commitment to hire needed first.
Provides services to children, families, and adults, including therapeutic, educational, vocational, and supportive services for young adults on Rikers Island before and after release, Multi-Systemic Therapy for court-involved youth, foster care, early childhood education, and family/community services such as counseling, employment, and substance use treatment.
Clubhouse-model mental health rehabilitation: job development and coaching, supported education, supportive housing, virtual programs and social events.
Offers training programs in construction pre-apprenticeship, hospitality, and customer service for low-income New Yorkers, matching clients with an employment specialist for assessments, resume review, interview skills, job referrals, and post-hire support.
Free 17-week virtual entrepreneurship bootcamp (twice a year) with personal and professional development coaching.
Voluntary case management for people released on their own recognizance or on bail with a pending case: needs assessment, referrals for housing, entitlements, jobs, substance use and mental health, weekly check-ins and court reminders.
A faith-based organization offering housing, continuity-of-care support, and education for formerly incarcerated individuals at Abraham House and Ignacio House. Residents can access scholarships to partnering colleges and job-readiness and career-development support, plus help finding permanent affordable housing; a food pantry operates Saturdays at its Bronx location (340 Willis Avenue).
Online job platform for people with criminal records.
Small business loans and coaching for entrepreneurs with limited access to credit.
