MISSION
New York Unemployment Project is a membership-based organization of unemployed New Yorkers committed to organizing and fighting for family sustaining jobs and income support across the New York City metropolitan area. NYUP is the only organization in New York engaged in direct education and organizing of unemployed workers.

NYUP is committed to building leadership among diverse groups of unemployed New Yorkers to build a new constituency for expanded, extended and accessible inome support for jobless workers. Our local organizing committees cross racial, class, and gender barriers to build power among unemployed workers—power to demand accountability from their elected leaders and power to reform the policies and laws that affect their lives.

NYUP members work in their communities and across the New York Metropolitan Area to inform other unemployed workers of their rights, and strive to organize their neighbors to take an active role in fighting for economic justice.

HISTORY
NYUP was founded in 2001 as an initiative of the National Employment Law Project in response to the growing crisis in New York’s unemployment insurance (UI) safety net to directly engage unemployed New Yorkers in civic participation and community education around issues concerning joblessness, unemployment insurance, job training and job creation.

New York Unemployment Project has evolved into a membership based organization of unemployed and low-income New Yorkers throughout New York City, Long Island and Westchester County working to promote policies that support the creation of family sustaining jobs and adequate income support for the unemployed.

In addition to engaging unemployed New Yorkers in civic participation and advocacy, NYUP spends a significant amount of its resources and time:

• helping unemployed New Yorkers take advantage of their right to unemployment insurance benefits through Know Your Rights Trainings and individual case management;
  
  
• connecting individuals denied unemployment insurance benefits to legal advocacy that will impact the administration of unemployment insurance; and
  
  
• enforcing the right of New Yorkers whose earnings were adversely impacted by the September 11th attacks and the resulting aftermath to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Mortgage & Rental Assistance Program and Individual & Family Grant program.