A heartfelt thank you to Pest at Rest

After more than 22 years of serving New York communities and creating opportunities for people rebuilding their lives after homelessness, Pest at Rest closed its doors on August 28, 2026.

The social enterprise began in January 2004 as an extension of The Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing & Able program, which has connected more than 15,000 people experiencing homelessness to jobs, housing, or both. It was built around a simple idea: pest control was a trade that offered a real wage, could be learned in a relatively short period of time, required a state license, and was in demand.

With support from a $75,000 grant from the Robin Hood Foundation, our first crew got to work. An experienced industry professional developed and led the training program, which included state licensing coursework, safety instruction, and hands-on field experience.

For more than two decades, Pest at Rest served apartment buildings, restaurants, schools, shelters, and supportive housing across New York City and beyond. It provided the foundation for Ready, Willing & Able graduates to enter full-time jobs in the pest-control industry — including some who even started companies of their own.

Pest at Rest partnered with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to address roach and mouse infestations in the homes of children with asthma in Brooklyn. In 2010, it opened a second operation in Newark alongside then-Mayor Cory Booker. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pest at Rest adapted its operations to help disinfect the buildings where Ready, Willing & Able participants lived.

Those accomplishments were made possible by the people who built and sustained Pest at Rest over the years: the technicians and supervisors who served customers every day, the instructors who shared their expertise, the office staff who kept the operation running, and the customers and partners who supported the business year after year.

As The Doe Fund’s workforce programs have evolved, we made the difficult decision to conclude Pest at Rest’s operations and focus our resources on the employment and training pathways that can have the greatest impact today. While Pest at Rest has closed, The Doe Fund’s commitment to providing opportunity continues through Ready, Willing & Able and our other social enterprises.

To everyone who worked at Pest at Rest, learned there, supported it, partnered with us, or trusted us with your business over the past 22 years: thank you. We are proud of what we built together and grateful for the many people whose lives and careers were touched by this work.