New coalition will develop a plan for equitable recovery with a focus on economic development, workforce training, and affordable housing

NYCETC, ANHD, and RPA will select a 15-person steering committee representative of the diversity of New York City to develop an agenda for inclusive economic growth

NEW YORK, NY - The New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC), the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD) and Regional Plan Association (RPA) today announced the launch of the NYC Inclusive Growth Initiative (NYCIGI). Over the next two years, this collaborative group will develop an agenda for inclusive economic growth across New York City that adds good jobs, retains and expands affordable housing, and drives the economy forward while reducing structural inequities and increasing access to opportunity.

The initiative will develop a steering committee representative of the diversity of New York City in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, immigration history and status, disability, income status and thought. It will be proactively inclusive of people with non-traditional educations, people who do not have access to other networks of civic influence in New York City, and people with working-class backgrounds and occupations. Applications to join the steering committee are now open at https://inclusivegrowth.nyc.

“Across the city, we hear people wondering when New York City will get back to normal. But for too many New Yorkers, back to normal means low wages, job insecurity, and lack of access to affordable housing. New York City is tough and resilient, but that does not mean it’s on an easy road to a post-COVID economic recovery, especially for our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Jose Ortiz, Jr., CEO of New York City Employment and Training Coalition. ​“As we tread forward, we want to ensure recovery policies geared towards economic development, workforce training, and affordable housing benefit those who need it most and contribute to an actually equitable recovery. NYCIGI will do just that; craft a coalition centered on leaders who have a true diversity of identities, ideas and lived experiences to help shape the future of New York City.”

In New York City, more than 75% of essential and front-line workers are people of color and high rates of positive COVID-19 cases are concentrated in neighborhoods where many of New York’s frontline service workers reside. The NYC Inclusive Growth Initiative will address persistent economic, social and racial inequities magnified by COVID-19 by offering a new vision for how economic policy decisions are made and delivered.

“For far too long, New York City has pursued a growth and development agenda focused on the few, while unjustly leaving behind millions of New Yorkers. We need a new approach, one where our growth and recovery policies center low-income residents, communities of color, immigrants, and other marginalized communities,” said Barika X. Williams, Executive Director of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. ​“Now is the time for an intentional, forward-thinking, inclusive approach to economic growth in New York City.”

Eventually developing into actionable and scalable solutions, the agenda developed by the steering committee will chart a course for how low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color can fully benefit from and shape economic growth and economic recovery from the pandemic. The agenda will be informed by priorities related to racial and social justice, education, infrastructure and transportation, poverty, gender, immigration services, climate and sustainability, and disabilities and accessibilities.

“We need a strong, thriving and equitable New York City where everyone benefits from growth, and we’re incredibly excited to work with current and future leaders to find the right path there,” said Tom Wright, President and CEO of Regional Plan Association. ​“These are challenging times, but New York has always come back stronger, and the New York City Inclusive Growth Initiative will help put us on track to build New York City back better and fairer than ever.”

NYCETC, ANHD, and RPA will support NYCIGI’s steering committee by producing original research, providing leadership and communications development, lending policy and issue expertise, and utilizing relevant connections to give the cohort access to government and civic organizations. The NYC Inclusive Growth Initiative is funded by the Ford Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and PNC Foundation.

“The success of New York City’s recovery agenda must be measured not just by whether the city rebounds, but whether it does so equitably,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Vice President US Programs at the Ford Foundation. ​“I commend NYCETC, ANHD and RPA for launching this exciting initiative that will draw on the ideas and lived experience of diverse leaders to help chart a path for inclusive growth in our city.”

“The pandemic has heightened the sense of urgency around the need to address economic and racial inequities across New York City,” said Abby Marquand, Vice President, and Program Officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co. ​“We are excited to support the Inclusive Growth Project—led by NYCETC in collaboration with ANHD and RPA, and a vision for economic recovery that brings stakeholders together to advance equity at this critical moment.”

More information and applications to apply for the steering committee can be found here: https://inclusivegrowth.nyc .