The Center for Family Life in Sunset Park promotes and supports the founding of cooperative businesses as part of our community development initiative. Our mission is to provide support and consultation services to worker-owner cooperatives based on principles of social justice, equality, and democracy. We focus on helping to develop cooperatives that focus on fair wages, safe working conditions, and respect for the environment. We began incubating cooperative businesses under the auspices of our Adult Employment Program in partnership with community members in 2006, and are currently working with 11 cooperatives ranging from pre-startups to mature businesses. Our work has received recognition by the New York City Council, the GEO Collective, and the United Nations 2012 Year of the Cooperatives. In 2012 with the assistance of NY City Council we began to train Community Based Organizations to develop a cooperative incubation program at their respective sites. In 2014 we received further recognition from the City Council through our Worker Cooperative Coalition efforts, allowing us to expand the worker cooperative movement in NYC.
