Job Training

First Step is a highly effective four-month job training program for homeless, formerly homeless and low-income women. More women than ever before desperately need job training to secure financial stability and provide a home for themselves and their children. First Step helps 120 women progress toward this goal every year.

Over half of the homeless mothers in New York City have a history of domestic violence. This horrifying pattern is echoed among our First Step students, as 75 percent of them are domestic violence survivors who became homeless when they fled their abusers. More than 80 percent are mothers, all have very low incomes, and over 75 percent receive public assistance.

Our innovative program provides participants with a thorough and practical understanding of the job market and workplace. First Step offers computer and job skills training, an internship with a major corporation or non-profit organization, mentoring by experienced professional women, job placement assistance, non-traditional employment and internship training, and extensive post-graduate support.

The program has proven highly effective, with 65 percent of last year's graduates now working full-time. Graduates of First Step are more than six times more likely to secure employment than an average welfare recipient.

Women who successfully complete First Step achieve a newfound sense of self-esteem and direction, while they transform their employment prospects and their lives.