The Doe Fund, Laptops For Remote Learning

For more than 30 years, The Doe Fund has helped break the devastating cycles of unemployment, homelessness, and incarceration. Through our Ready, Willing & Able 9-12 month transitional work program, Workforce Development programming, and affordable housing support, we’ve offered a pathway out of poverty to tens of thousands of homeless and formerly incarcerated men. Each year we graduate hundreds of trainees from our program. That means each year, hundreds of our program participants are enrolled in and complete our required education and elective training courses to best position them for a successful career. Our training tracks offer recession-proof, growth industry opportunities in the Culinary Arts, Construction, Pest Control, Building Maintenance, Transportation and Warehousing fields.

After a six-week suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Workforce Development classes will launch remote learning via virtual classrooms on Friday, April 24, 2020, for the following required classes:

• Computer Skills Class
• Career Success Strategies Class
• Financial Management Class

With your support, we will purchase 10 laptops retailing for $200 each. Five laptops will go to our Peter Jay Sharp Center for Opportunity located in Bushwick, Brooklyn and the remaining five will go to our Harlem Center for Opportunity located in Harlem so our staff may continue to deliver classroom instruction and provide individualized support to our 100+ education program participants who were actively enrolled when the cessation of classroom instruction went in to effect in March. 

In December 2018, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) reported that RWA reduced the 3-year felony conviction rate of formerly incarcerated graduates by 62% compared to demographically identical individuals who initially signed up for our program but exited after fewer than 60 days (8% vs. 21%). 

Wage and job retention are some of the best indicators as to the impact of The Doe Fund’s occupational training on clients. 99 of RWA participants who found new employment in 2019 had also enrolled in one of the six occupational training programs. Of those who enrolled, 89% completed the training program. There were a total of 482 industry-recognized occupational certifications earned in 2019.

In 2019, 173 individuals who left with employment had participated in Career Success Strategies Class (CSS). Of those who enrolled, 79% had completed the class. In 2019, Career Development helped to place 170 individuals into livable wage employment. The average wage among clients who left TDF was $15.88, a $1.16 increase from 2018. However, the rise in the minimum wage contributes to this upward trend.