About Us
CASH sees our future as broadening our horizons, and strengthening our collaborations and partnerships to better serve our city. Our mission is to serve. One of the most powerful elements in our lives is self-esteem, and the knowledge that we are productive members of the society we live in. For those less forturnate, Civic Association Serving Harlems, Inc.(CASH) provides that much needed self-esteem by offering those who need it a second chance in life.
We are dedicated to the community at large by helping those seeking employment and promoting economic self-sufficiency. We work with a diverse population ranging from hard-working laborers to certified professionals. We appreciate and recognize those employers who have demonstrated a willingness to work with us and hire our referrals.
-Joseph A. Kelly, Executive Director
Our History
Civic Association Serving Harlems, Inc. (CASH) was formerly known as Citizen Action For Safer Harlems (1976-1994), under the sponsorship of the New York Urban Coalition. After establishing a community patrol, a senior citizens escort service, a summer youth enrichment program, a vocational training/work experience program and CASH tech (a computer technology project), it wasn't long before CASH made a positive Impact and became firmly established in the Harlem community.
In 1994, CASH became incorporated as Civic Association Serving Harlems, Inc. Primary funding for over 20 years is from New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to provide vocational services to individuals in treatment. Those services include over 10 years of implementing a Diagnostic Vocational Evaluation(DVE) unit to over 5,000 New York City Residents with a myriad of employment barriers i.e., low levels of formal education, little or no work histories, poor basic social skills, and criminal histories.
In 2000, New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) replaced our service direction to provide Employment Placement Services. Assistance has been provided to over 650 individuals. In previous fiscal years, CASH achieved over 100% of the years placement goal, for individuals reporting a criminal history CASH achieved a 70% placement rate. We increasingly saw the need to develop a formal relationship with the Division of Parole because many job seekers were on parole. 20% of those individuals resided within the West Harlem Community. Therefore, a pilot project was recently developed with Bronx Parole, which involves services to parolees who meet the eligibility criteria of CASH's State and City funded Employment Placement Services. CASH will soon begin its fourth year of funding from The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) to provide employment service to young adults in Neighborhood Development Area NDA #10.
Our Staff
CASH would not be able to serve its mission if it weren't for its compassionate, dedicated, professional staff. Find out more about the people behind the organization:
