May 1, 2019 – Building Skills New York, a non-profit organization working to provide underserved New Yorkers with good paying jobs, announced today its first ever Brooklyn Worker of the Month, Howard Young of Bedford Stuyvesant.

Young, before he was trained and placed by Building Skills NY (BSNY), was previously unemployed and lived in a homeless shelter with his son. Howard Young connected with Building Skills NY through The Doe Fund. BSNY helped him secure OSHA 30 training and got him a construction job with the Arker Company, a commercial real estate development which has created over 4000 housing units and nearly 1 million square feet of commercial office space.

“Before I found Building Skills, I never thought I would be able to pull myself out of the hole I was in,” said Young. “Now, with OSHA 30 training under my belt and being placed into a stable job that I love, I am indebted to everyone at Building Skills for their help and hard work to get me to this place in my life.”

Last year Building Skills New York filled 235 NYC construction and related jobs, with Brooklyn residents making up more than a quarter of workers.

“Job opportunities in New York are a two-way street—it takes someone with true grit and character to thrive across New York’s construction industry,” said David Meade, Executive Director of Building Skills New York. “I’m so proud to have partnered with Howard, who’s taken a job opportunity and turned it into a life changing career.”

BSNY’s “Worker of the Month” monthly series aims to highlight and honor workers placed in jobs throughout New York City.