Hopeworks Kensington

With a focus on skill development, real-world job experience, and trauma-informed care, Hopeworks propels young adults into long-term living wage careers that put them on the path to healing and financial stability.

Hopeworks was founded In 1999 to offer training to young adults without a high school diploma. As we worked with more and more young adults to change their lives, we made an important discovery. Technical training was not enough. Rather than simply training young adults in technology, Hopeworks started three businesses to give our young people the real-world experience of working with real clients, and providing unrestricted revenue to our program. Even more important, Hopeworks realized that for young adults to be successful professionally, we also had to help young adults heal from the chronic stress and trauma they experienced. With the introduction of trauma-informed care, Hopeworks’ growth was explosive. Our completion rate quintupled. Our young adult retention rate went up 12 times.

While Hopeworks started in Camden, NJ, we provided services and support to young adults in the Philadelphia area. In 2020, we chose Kensington as a location to expand our services and opened in December 2022. This strategic move allowed us to provide a physical site, proximate to young adults in Philadelphia, furthering our mission to empower young adults facing adversity. As a new partner in Kensington, Hopeworks held a Hackathon event in Spring of 2023 in partnership with Kensington Community Trust, New Kensington Community Development Center, and Impact Services, leading to the creation of a Kensington GIS Map to raise awareness about community resources.