Missing the Connection: Social Isolation and Employment on the Brooklyn Waterfront

Much of the recent literature on poverty assumes that the social and spatial isolation of impoverished inner city neighborhoods contributes to the poor job prospects of their residents. In this case study we examine a neighborhood, the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, New York, in which there is a concentration of poor people living in close proximity to blue-collar jobs. However, few local residents hold local jobs in the private sector. A survey of local employers revealed that most Red Hook jobs were filled via social networks that exclude local residents. Local residents, particularly African Americans, often lacked the social capital — connections and references — needed to obtain these jobs. Further, many local employers considered Red Hook residents undesirable employees for a variety of reasons including “place discrimination” as well as racial discrimination. By contrast, public sector employers often preferred local residents, although their ability to hire them was limited by formal educational requirements. These findings lead us to question the efficacy of policies, such as “empowerment zones,” that assume that bringing jobs closer to where poor people live will necessarily improve their' employment opportunities.