City Cleanup Corps: A Foot in the Door to NYCHA

Some New Yorkers who applied for and got positions in the City’s temporary economic recovery program, City Cleanup Corps, didn’t expect that those short-term positions would open the door to permanent employment and the start of hopefully long careers at NYCHA. The City Cleanup Corps (NYC CCC) employed approximately 10,000 New Yorkers across 10 City agencies to help ensure New York City was clean and green and that people had work during the pandemic.  

The City launched NYC CCC in April 2021 and NYCHA began hiring in May 2021. The Authority hired 1,308 NYC CCC workers, of whom 593 were NYCHA residents. In their short time at the Authority, City Cleanup Corps staff members have been important team members, working hard to keep developments clean inside and outside, maintaining playgrounds, assisting with pest control, conducting resident education and outreach, helping resident associations with various projects, and helping with civic engagement, including assisting with citywide resident association election meetings. 

“The City Cleanup Corps program provided NYCHA with an incredible opportunity to scale up cleaning and beautification efforts on NYCHA campuses,” said Shanna Castillo, Senior Director of NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability. “NYCHA prioritized connecting residents to this on-the-job training and employment opportunity and we are proud that as a result 45% of all of NYCHA’s CCC hires were NYCHA residents. We are grateful for the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development for leading this effort on behalf of the City and for their commitment to ensuring that the initiative provided not just a job, but a career building opportunity for CCC workers.”  

The program was extended at the end of 2021, and approximately 365 NYC CCC workers are currently still on assignment; a percentage of these workers will be hired permanently by NYCHA before the program ends on June 30, 2022. To date, approximately 330 NYC CCC workers were hired by NYCHA for permanent roles, of whom 150 are NYCHA residents.  

Rodney James-Spann, 23, is one of those NYCHA residents and new NYCHA employees. The Albany Houses resident was recently hired for a permanent role as a pest control aide. He was originally hired as a NYC CCC pest control aide at Borinquen Plaza in June 2021.  

“I had worked as a seasonal worker at NYCHA before, so when I found out about the CCC program, I wanted to apply so I could get a permanent position [at the Authority],” he said. 

In his new role, he works in developments in different boroughs to help reduce pests while continuing to learn about the pest control field.  

“The City Cleanup Corps program exposed me to this field of work,” Mr. James-Spann said. “I wasn’t familiar with extermination before, and now I’m learning about the different types of chemicals NYCHA uses and how to apply them correctly. I focus a lot on the grounds and put bait in the rat burrows and change bait stations. This program made me learn about this line of work and the opportunities that come with it. I’m just really appreciative of the opportunities I’ve gotten working [at NYCHA] to get where I am right now.” 

Many of the supervisors of NYC CCC workers called them a tremendous help and recommended them for permanent positions. 

“This team was a huge help, doing critical work that keeps pest infestations down,” said Reana James, Pest Control Seasonal Manager in NYCHA’s Pest Control Department. “Our City Cleanup Corps staff collapsed rat burrows, cleaned compactor rooms, cleaned hotspots where rodents harbor, and more. Many of our staff started working for our program afraid of rodents. Now, they want to become exterminators. Most of our CCC employees have expressed their gratitude for the encouragement, guidance, and trainings the Pest Control Department has provided to ensure they have the tools to foster growth and gain permanent employment in the extermination field.” 

Feature photo taken by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.