Brooklyn Nonprofit Receives $187K Grant for Workforce Development

(New York, N.Y.) – This week, the New York State Department of Labor awarded Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC) an $187,000 grant to aid their workforce development efforts done in partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY). In response to the award, Shari Suchoff, BCC Executive Director, and Patricia Simino Boyce, CUNY Dean for Health and Human Services, released the following statements:

“Longstanding inequities have created a healthcare system where patients of color do not see themselves represented amongst medical staff,” said Shari Suchoff, BCC Executive Director. “The support from the State Department of Labor will help ensure that over 50 future frontline mental and physical health workers in Brooklyn have the support and training they need to help their neighbors recover and heal. We want to thank CUNY for their partnership and for working with us to ensure that students from historically disadvantaged neighborhoods have the tools they need to access these critical jobs that serve their communities.”

“CUNY is proud to support the important work of Brooklyn Communities Collaborative in addressing critical workforce needs,” said Patricia Simino Boyce, CUNY Dean for Health and Human Services and BCC Board Member. “CUNY is pleased to expand and evolve these important training programs to meet community needs, especially during these challenging times.”

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About Brooklyn Communities Collaborative

Brooklyn Communities Collaborative is a not-for-profit based in New York that works with local institutions and stakeholders to address longstanding health inequities in the borough. BCC was founded last year with the goal of leveraging the economic power of anchor institutions and community resources to address the economic factors that improve the social determinants of health -- whether it's supporting housing stability, advancing economic empowerment, expanding care management services, or strengthening CBOs in the area. BCC's innovative, student-led research studies target historically underserved communities throughout the borough to identify challenges and concerns raised by residents, using that information to inform stakeholders and organizations on solutions. BCC builds upon years of collaborative efforts with anchor institutions and community partners in Brooklyn, which have helped connect 80,000 complex-need patients to care management services, produce 30,000 pounds of fresh produce annually in Central Brooklyn, and develop 3,400 housing units.