The Howie the Harp (HTH) Peer Training Program is both a job training academy for peers, located in Harlem, and a training model that can be replicated, under license, by other service providers. The HTH Program is application-based and includes curriculum based classroom training, internship placements and competitive employment obtainment support.

WHO DOES THIS PROGRAM AIM TO SERVE? NYC Residents with a mental health diagnosis who have earned a High School diploma (or GED/TASC equivalent).

HAS THIS PROGRAM BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19? Yes. The HTH Peer Training Program has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No applications are being accepted or considered. Please check HTH Peer Training Program's website for up-to-date changes.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER OF HOWIE THE HARP This program was named in honor of Community Access’ first Director of Advocacy, Howard Geld, who, after spending two years in mental health facilities in 1968, demanded to know why his psychiatric condition, and the label “ex-mental patient,” had come to define who he was. Addressing this sense of injustice propelled him to the forefront of a burgeoning patient rights movement with a fundamental philosophy, which, to this day, Community Access shares: to transform the treatment system, you need to transform its workforce.