Center for Family Life in Sunset Park’s Mission
“Center for Family Life in Sunset Park has been the principal provider of integrated social and human services in the low-income community of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for over four decades.”
Center for Family Life in Sunset Park (CFLSP), a neighborhood-based social service organization, has been the principal provider of integrated social and human services in the low-income community of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for over four decades. Their mission is to ensure all community members have the support that they may need to exercise voice and choice and to engage meaningfully in the civic life of their neighborhood.
Job Readiness and Placement Services
CFLSP provides job readiness and placement services to 600 community members each year through their Adult Employment Program, and primarily serves immigrant families who may be seeking their first job in the United States. Their programs are offered in both English and Spanish with an option for virtual, in-person, or hybrid delivery. Additionally, they run youth development programming at seven public school sites and operate a community resource center that combines a food pantry, benefits advocacy, legal and financial services, employment and small business development services, as well as family counseling, serving over 15,500 individuals each year.
To prepare community members for careers, employment counselors develop individualized plans that detail employment goals as well as referrals for support services such as counseling or childcare. Participants attend job-readiness workshops on topics including resume preparation, interviewing skills, employer expectations, communication skills, and self-assessment. Participants are matched to appropriate job openings, and staff remain in ongoing communication with participants and employers, offering interventions and support to assist participants to stay on the job.
“As part of the work done with our clients on a daily basis, CFLSP provides comprehensive and professional employment services in an inclusive and friendly manner. Our team always aims empowering clients to feel comfortable expressing their needs and problems.”
For so many communities that relied on face-to-face roles, families in Sunset Park were hard hit by the pandemic. Responding to individual needs is not new work for CFLSP, their team takes a whole-family approach to workforce development. Case managers engage families by leading with a comprehensive intake to identify client needs and immediately address their most pressing issues. Luis Meija shares more on this work “As part of the work done with our clients on a daily basis, CFLSP provides comprehensive and professional employment services in an inclusive and friendly manner. Our team always aims empowering clients to feel comfortable expressing their needs and problems.”
Working with Employers in Sunset Park
CFLSP provides individualized support and placement with local employers in a variety of sectors including healthcare, food and hospitality, and manufacturing. The team is proud of the accomplishments achieved last year in relation to the approximate $2/hour wage increase for both food production and home care. This positive advancement of wages for program participants is indicative of several intersecting trends identified across the various sectors in which CFLSP maintains close employer partnerships. In regard to food production, Sunset Park has been privileged to benefit from the introduction and partnership of new employers to the region such as Union Square Events located at the burgeoning Industry City space, offering higher wages for their food production employment opportunities ($17.19/hr.)
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