BY ROSE ADAMS
A southern Brooklyn lawmaker
aims to close the income
gap by bringing a slate
of job training and fi nancial
planning workshops to her district’s
low-income residents.
“I often say that we’re a historically
marginalized community
that has been fi nding our
way to rebound for many, many
decades,” said Assemblywoman
Mathylde Frontus, whose district
includes Coney Island,
and portions of Gravesend, Bay
Ridge, and Dyker Heights.
The proposal, which Frontus
unveiled on Tuesday, aims
to connect southern Brooklynites
to career-readiness and
resume-writing workshops, informational
sessions on how to
reduce debt, advisory sessions
for fi rst-time homeowners, and
other programs run by nonprofi
ts. Though the programs
already exist and are available
to all New Yorkers, Frontus
said that the bulk of her proposal’s
success will come from her
staff’s efforts to connect locals
to the programs and track each
participants’ progress.
“My offi ce is going to be doing
some heavy community
engagement. We’re going to
sign people up from the district
COURIER L 10 IFE, JANUARY 22-28, 2021
for these services,” she
said. “We’re not just putting a
fl yer on Facebook and saying,
‘Hey, in case you didn’t know,
sign up for these classes.'”
The staff will send out
email blasts and reach out to
constituents individually to
connect them to the classes
that suit them best, one of
Frontus’ advisors said.
“We’re like a waiter essentially
in a restaurant, and our
partners are the chefs,” said
Chermaine Mangaroo, a senior
advisor to Frontus.
Frontus’ six-point plan aims
Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus is hoping to connect residents of her district with economic resources and
workshops as areas like Coney Island struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
to provide six forms of assistance
— career readiness and
training, entrepreneurship,
home ownership assistance, fi -
nancial planning, cooperative
economics, and community investment
opportunities. All the
workshops are now held virtually,
but Frontus said she may
eventually bring the courses
to her Mermaid Avenue offi ces
when in-person gatherings can
resume safely.
In the meantime, she hopes
the plan will serve as a lifeline
to residents of her district —
particularly Coney Island, a
neighborhood whose poverty
rate hovers just below 30 percent.
Coney Island residents
have struggled with poverty
and high unemployment rates
before the COVID-19 pandemic,
but the season-long closure
of the amusement district
accelerated those trends.
“Without a comprehensive
plan to help those who have
suffered economically during
this crisis – many of whom
were already struggling –
families might never recover,”
Frontus said.
One former lawmaker
who represented the district
lauded the plan’s comprehensive
approach.
“This is one of the most
promising initiative we’ve had
in the 46th Assembly District
for a while,” said Coney Island’s
former Assembly member
and current City Council
candidate, Alec Brook-Krasny.
“I’m very, very happy that this
plan is happening now.”
To learn more, call Frontus’
offi ce at 718-266-0267.
Economic plan to
bring job training
to southern BK
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