Driving Career Opportunities for Young Adults in the Bronx

The Bronx faces the highest rate of poverty, material hardship, and health problems of New York City’s five boroughs. 

Since March 2020, the number of unemployed young adults in New York City as a whole has soared from 150,000 to more than 320,000, according to data from Robin Hood, New York City’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy. The Bronx faces the highest rate of unemployed young adults aged 18-34 at 31%. 

In an effort to improve opportunities for young adults in the Bronx, Capital One provided a $500,000 grant to Robin Hood to offer skills training and support for 2,500 Bronx residents. 

“The issues impacting young adults living in the Bronx have compounded since the pandemic,” says Richard Buery, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Robin Hood. “Today’s young adults are met with more obstacles than options, making programs and resources more important now than ever. As these young adults transition to adulthood, we must continue to invest in them and their futures."

Creating Avenues for Young Adults in the Bronx to Thrive

Capital One and Robin Hood are supporting the following Bronx organizations to help alleviate poverty and provide opportunities to young adults in four critical impact areas: 

• College Access: The Accelerate Complete Engage (ACE) program at Lehman College offers comprehensive support over four years, providing sustained aid as NYC’s low-income and minority students navigate the challenges of obtaining a bachelor’s degree. This investment will help more than 1,500 students at Lehman College through advancing college retention and completion, bolstering bachelor’s degree attainment, and supporting students on their academic journeys. 
• Career Paths & Job Placements: The Post-Secondary Pathways program at the East Side House Settlement (ESH) helps 250 Bronx youth attain college access or secure job placement in fast-growing and resilient sectors. 
• Decrease Recidivism: The Center for Court Innovation’s (CCI) Juvenile Offender Intervention Network is designed to prevent youth from being reconvicted. This alternative-to-incarceration program has helped at least 91% of CCI participants avoid rearrest or conviction within two years after completing the program. 
• Holistic Support: BronxWorks provides cradle-to-career education programs for Bronx youth. BronxWorks is the largest social service organization in the Bronx and has connected more than 2,000 households to benefits. This investment will help BronxWorks continue its holistic support by providing investment that connects more Bronxites to benefits like food and nutrition assistance, housing and income support, and healthcare programs.

Capital One's support to Robin Hood is made possible through the Capital One Impact Initiative, a multi-year commitment to drive economic growth in low- and moderate-income communities and closing opportunity gaps.

“We are honored to partner with Robin Hood and these outstanding organizations to support young adults in the Bronx,” says Priscilla Williams-Chukwu, Principal Associate of Community Impact and Investment at Capital One. “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this grant equips young adults with critical resources and support, and options to explore new opportunities to further their bright ambitions and achieve their goals.”