Every day, Robin Hood-supported programs work to break the cycle of poverty for thousands of New Yorkers and their families. They work on the front lines providing a quality education to kids, preparing people with barriers to employment for the workplace, presenting an alternative to the streets for teenagers, assisting with critical early childhood development issues, and helping good people simply survive. This is what Robin Hood's partnerships are all about.
Learn more about Robin Hood-supported programs and the issues they address, by exploring the grant recipients in the portfolios below:
Early Childhood
For too many New York City children, the absence of informed parents, inadequate health care and poor preparation for school hampers their development, putting them years behind their peers before they even begin the first grade. The families we serve, often led by teenagers or young adults, live under severe stress — with little income or education, in substandard housing and with histories of substance abuse, domestic violence, depression or other mental illness. Our programs offer remarkable records of success — all but eliminating abuse, neglect and avoidable foster-care placement among the thousands of children we serve. The early-childhood programs are grouped into two categories: parenting education and child early intervention. Youth programs are also grouped into two categories: juvenile justice and foster care. All youth programs provide counseling, education, medical and other services to at-risk children and adolescents.
Education
Education is the best poverty-prevention method out there. Robin Hood supports superior schools — public, private, and parochial — in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. These schools emphasize rigorous academics, dynamic leadership and utilize an extended day and extended year model. We also support programs that prevent students from falling behind, reinvigorate teaching, and provide students with needed mental and social services. When statistics revealed that nearly sixty percent of New York City public school students in grades 3 through 8 read below grade level, Robin Hood, together with the Department of Education, launched the L!brary Initiative to reverse low literacy skills and underachievement by creating libraries that are vibrant centers of teaching and learning.
Jobs & Economic Security
Robin Hood’s job programs have helped thousands of people get jobs, despite such barriers to employment as histories of substance abuse, incarceration, and homelessness. We also support organizations that create economic security for low-income individuals by providing loans and grants, financial literacy and free banking services, and assistance in starting a business. Robin Hood also helps poor working-families gain access to public benefits and tax credits through our Earned Income Tax Credit (E.I.T.C.) and Single Stop Initiatives. Single Stop provides free confidential benefits and financial counseling in poor neighborhoods, while E.I.T.C. educates poor working New Yorkers about the money they're owed and helps them file for the credits at no cost.
Survival
Homelessness in New York City is at the highest recorded rate and keeps climbing. And the number of people that need to rely on food pantries and soup kitchens for their meals surges exponentially each year. While prevention is the Robin Hood ideal, many people in New York City are fighting for their lives. We cannot turn our backs on them. Robin Hood’s survival portfolio supplies housing to the homeless, food to the hungry, healthcare to the uninsured, shelter to victims of domestic abuse, and services and a home to those living with HIV/AIDS. All of these programs are combined with comprehensive support services designed to help people break the cycle of poverty.
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