Employment & Job Training
ACE Programs for the Homeless
Queens
Project Comeback vocational rehabilitation (resume help, paid work experience, OSHA/forklift/food protection certifications, case management) and Project Stay retention aftercare.
Employment & Job Training in Queens
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.
Queens has fewer local listings than Manhattan or Brooklyn, so the citywide services below, many of which work by phone, fill much of the gap.
13 services based in Queens, plus 55 citywide
Based in Queens
Housing & Shelter
The Fortune Society
Queens
Full-service reentry hub: housing (emergency to permanent), benefits enrollment, case management, education, employment, outpatient substance use and mental health treatment, family services, HIV/AIDS services and ATI programs. No legal services.
Education & GED
The Fortune Society - Digital Equity Program
Queens
Beginner to advanced digital literacy training (email, smartphones, Google Suite, video conferencing, resume writing, digital safety) and free devices for people impacted by the criminal legal system.
Education & GED
CUNY Fatherhood Academy
Bronx · Brooklyn · Queens
Free HSE prep or college prep track with tutoring, counseling, parenting seminars, financial incentives and job preparation.
Substance Use Recovery
Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities, Inc.
Queens
Provides an Article 32 outpatient program for people 15+ with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders, plus an intensive residential program for adults 18+ with chronic substance use disorders. Services include counseling, vocational training, health education, relapse prevention, and mental health evaluations, with letters of reasonable assurance available for people being released.
Family & Reunification
Hour Children
Queens
Services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their families: housing, employment training, case management, mentoring, after-school clubhouse, food pantry, thrift shops.
Employment & Job Training
Queens Public Library - Job & Business Academy
Queens
Free technology-focused training and workshops for job seekers, entrepreneurs and business owners.
Benefits & Financial Help
Urban Upbound
Queens
Serves public housing residents and other low-income New Yorkers with employment services, financial counseling, free tax preparation, a federal credit union, youth development, a college access program, a worker cooperative initiative, and free mental health counseling at locations across NYC.
Housing & Shelter
A Beautiful Heart Ministries
Queens
Supports formerly incarcerated women, girls, and gender-fluid individuals with trauma-informed care, safe housing, employment pathways, and entrepreneurship support. Programs include 'She Writes Her Trauma,' a writing-based healing workshop, and 'When She Comes Home,' which offers care packages and transitional support to women and girls returning from incarceration.
Employment & Job Training
Commonpoint Queens - Workforce Development
Queens
Job readiness, skills training and placement for Queens residents.
Education & GED
LaGuardia Community College - Adult & Continuing Education
Queens
HSE prep, English classes and job training programs through CUNY.
Employment & Job Training
Pursuit
Queens
Software engineering and AI training program with job placement.
Employment & Job Training
Queens Community House
Queens
Multi-service settlement house with adult education, food pantry, youth and older adult programs.
Citywide services
These serve people from every borough, often by phone, online or at more than one office.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Mobilization for Justice
Citywide
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.
Employment & Job Training
NYC Workforce1 Career Centers
Citywide
Career counseling, resume help, job placement, and training in food service, healthcare, construction, tech and more; training grants available.
Employment & Job Training
NYCHA Jobs-Plus
Citywide
Workforce development and financial empowerment for NYCHA residents: job readiness, training, placement and retention, financial counseling, mental health services, career planning.
Employment & Job Training
NYS Dept. of Labor - Federal Bonding Program
Citywide
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.
Family & Reunification
SCO Family of Services
Citywide
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.
Mental Health & Counseling
Venture House
Citywide
Clubhouse-model mental health rehabilitation: job development and coaching, supported education, supportive housing, virtual programs and social events.
Employment & Job Training
Chinese-American Planning Council - Workforce Development Division
Citywide
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.
Employment & Job Training
Defy Ventures
Citywide
Free 17-week virtual entrepreneurship bootcamp (twice a year) with personal and professional development coaching.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Liberty Fund NYC - The ROR Program
Citywide
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.
Housing & Shelter
Thrive for Life Prison Project
Citywide
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).
Employment & Job Training
70 Million Jobs
Citywide
Online job platform for people with criminal records.
Employment & Job Training
Accion Opportunity Fund
Citywide
Small business loans and coaching for entrepreneurs with limited access to credit.