Welcome to Esperanza
Esperanza is an alternative to incarceration program for young people who have family and/or adult/supreme court cases in any of the five boroughs of New York City. Esperanza works to reduce reliance on out of home placement, jail, and prison for our city’s justice involved young people- disproportionately children of color from communities highly impacted by poverty, violence, and resource inequity. Throughout two decades of structural reform in New York City, Esperanza has worked with justice system stakeholders to provide an approach to reducing the use of placement, detention and prison that is responsive to critical issues like racial equity and social
justice, trauma and mental health. Our program provides comprehensive services including intensive therapy, and case and crisis management. To prevent barriers to service access, Esperanza conducts therapy sessions in the home and around the family’s schedule. We also work to ensure that our participants are in appropriate educational settings where they can receive the support services they need. Esperanza utilizes diverse therapy modalities to most effectively address the unique challenges each youth and family faces in order to affect positive outcomes.
What We Do
Esperanza is a community-based alternative to detention, placement and incarceration programs for young people involved in the justice system. Learn more about what we do.
Services »Who We Are
Esperanza has been in existence since 2002. Learn more about our History, Mission and Board of Directors!
Supporters
Esperanza gives deep thanks to all of the foundations, businesses and individuals who have supported our work and families over the years.
Learn more about our supporters. »What Esperanza Participants and Parents Say
I was happy that [my son] was getting a chance to start all over again— in a way it was like a new beginning. When he became an honor student, I was like, oh wow, his counselor was so happy, I don’t know who was more happy. But she has helped us through so much, I was glad that she would always include the kids, even the little one. [The counselor] did it as a family, because she wanted to pull us together. I really appreciate all that Esperanza has done for my family; I will be expecting good things for my child.
–Esperanza Parent
My life drastically changed for the better thanks to Esperanza and staff. Esperanza was the best thing that happened to me.
-Esperanza Participant
Esperanza is a very helpful program where opportunities are opened for the future.
-Esperanza Participant
I just want to say thank you to our counselor, she has done a tremendous job with my child. He has opened up to her—he’s never been a child to talk, but he’s opened up to her. I’m going to miss her… And thank you to the Esperanza staff for helping us when we needed it most.
–Esperanza Parent