Save NextSTEPS
NextSteps Coalition’s Letter to Commissioner Holmes
Read the letter here.
Our Issue
On Thursday, August 24th at 8: 21 P.M., nonprofit organizations contracted by the New York City Department of Probation to operate Next STEPS mentoring programs across New York City, received an email stating that their contracts would be terminated effective Thursday, August 31st.
The NextSteps program was extended for 21 days without any financial investment. Closure of the program is now scheduled for September 21st.
Our Action
The nonprofit organizations that are contracted to do NextSTEPS immediately launched the Next STEPS Coalition to mobilize stakeholders from across the City, including elected officials, to denounce the Department’s decision and to call for a reinstatement of the program and for the department to invest in the evaluation of the program.
Amplify our efforts to keep NextSTEPS up and running.
Update
As we continue our advocacy to #SaveNextSTEPS, please see below for all the ways that you can join our efforts:
- Use your social media platform to reach out to Council Members. Find your local Council Members & Districts – New York City Council (nyc.gov) (See Social Media Toolkit below)
- Text the mayor “Text with Eric” 917 909-2288
- Call 311 leave a message for the Mayor Adams and DOP Commissioner Holmes asking them to Restore NextSTEPS
Upcoming Advocacy:
- NYC Council Hearing on Friday 9/29. –Hearing Notice
- Save the Date and show up! Emergency Rally POSTPONED to Friday October 20th 3pm@ Saint Nicholas Houses West 129th Street & Frederick Douglas Blvd. Flyer below.
#SaveNextSTEPS Social Media Toolkit
Twitter/X
Tell @nycprobation Commissioner Holmes to restore funding to NextSTEPS now! NextSTEPS mentors connect young NYCHA residents with education & career opportunities. Investing in youth keeps communities safe! #SaveNextSTEPS @nycmayor
Tell Commissioner Holmes to restore funding to NextSTEPS now!
The NextSTEPS Mentoring Program serves hundreds of young people ages 16-24 who reside in NYCHA housing every year. Mentors help youth connect to education and career opportunities, provide youth with a trusted adult who can support them in challenging times, and help guide youth as they navigate decisions and enter adulthood. Next STEPS programs also employ community members, providing them with an opportunity to achieve both economic stability and mobility.
We must #SaveNextSTEPS @nycmayor @sheenawrightnyc @nycprobation
Facebook/LinkedIn
Tell Commissioner Holmes to restore funding to NextSTEPS now! http://bit.ly/45rHuX1
The NextSTEPS Mentoring Program serves hundreds of young people ages 16-24 who reside in NYCHA housing every year. Mentors help youth connect to education and career opportunities, provide youth with a trusted adult who can support them in challenging times, and help guide youth as they navigate decisions and enter adulthood. NextSTEPS programs also employ community members, providing them with an opportunity to achieve both economic stability and mobility.
Despite mentorship being included in the @nycmayor Blueprint for Community Safety, NextSTEPS mentoring contracts are being canceled. After hearing the terrible news, our participants and their families are devastated, and our organizations have not been given enough time to smoothly transition them into other supportive programs. Many have said they feel abandoned by the City and hopeless about their ability to stay out of the criminal legal system without the support of their mentors.
About NextSTEPS
NextSTEPS, an initiative of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, offers one-on-one and group mentoring within a cognitive behavioral therapy-based curriculum designed to help young adults make the attitudinal and behavioral changes necessary to avoid criminal activity and re-engage with education, work and community. The program was started in 2014 and provides services in each borough at the following NYCHA developments: Bronx – Castle Hill, Patterson, Butler; Queens – Queensbridge North & South; Staten Island – Stapleton; Brooklyn – Brownsville, Boulevard, Van Dyke I&II, Red Hook East & West, Ingersoll, Bushwick, Tompkins; Manhattan – Saint Nicholas, Wagner, Polo Grounds Towers.
Click here to view program locations – Next Steps – Probation (nyc.gov)
NextSTEPS Coalition
