ABBA (Able Body of Believers Alliance) Leadership Center is a 501(C)3 not-for-profit, faith-based organization that is located in Hempstead, New York. ABBA takes a holistic approach in addressing the needs of men and women in our community. We focus on reuniting men and women with their families in a covenant keeping relationship that naturally combats the negative influence of drugs, crime, violence, gangs and poverty. Biblical principles are the building blocks of all our teaching and they are the foundation for the reason we exist.
Pivotal to ABBA is reaching men and women entangled in the criminal justice system, to reduce the high rate of recidivism. ABBA Leadership Center Inc. recognizes that in order for it to reach its objectives, the combined effort of the entire affected community must be brought to bare if we are to effectively address the crisis of the dysfunctional male. A cross section of community-based and faith-based organizations must form an alliance to work in unison to meet the need and develop a comprehensive strategy to rebuild the broken lives of men and women in crisis situations; be it jail, homeless shelters, drugs and alcohol programs or the average “Joe” aimlessly going through the motion of life. The bible says, “Though one be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:18 NIV). A broad based partnership alliance of community and faith-based organizations is absolutely essential to the healing and restoration of disenfranchised men and women in the criminal justice system. Job Readiness/Life-skills Work Experience Training Program for the Hard-To-Employ.
In November of 2010, ABBA Leadership Center, in partnership with the Zenith Group Inc., Hi-Lume Corp and Conifer Le-Chase implemented a pilot work experience Job Readiness Training Program for hard-to-employ ex-offenders and high-risk youth and young adults in the construction industry. Working with chronically unemployed high risk ex-offenders and young adults, we initially placed 14 men on a construction site in the Village of Hempstead.
The resulting success of this initiative has allowed ABBA to expand its pilot program to several other construction sites, including Mills Creek construction site at 303 N. Main Street in Hempstead and West Hempstead. The success of this pilot program has necessitated the creation of two new full time staff positions: 1) a Job Development Director, and 2) an Ex-Offender Job Development Specialist. This initiative is not exclusive to ex-offenders, but instead focuses on chronically unemployed men and women throughout the Village of Hempstead and surrounding communities of Nassau County.
At present our partnership includes the Hempstead Development Agency, Leadership Training Institute, United-way Youth Build, The Community Development Commission of Long Island, Belfor Restoration Corp., Concern For Independent Living, Racanelli construction, Renaissance Downtown Development, Amazing Contracting 11, ATEC Welding, Park East Construction, Conifer Lachase construction, Red Rock Industries, Trilydia, TACA ltd, and others.