Photo by Glyn Lowe Photos.

When Mayor Vince Gray launched his “One City, One Hire” initiative in 2011, it was at a time when D.C. unemployment was at an all-time high of 11.1 percent. The goal was to help 10,000 unemployed D.C. residents find jobs within a year. Now, three years, later, Gray’s initiative has finally hit its goal.

In January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released their annual jobs report, which reported that unemployment in D.C. is down to 8.1 percent. In a release, Gray says the unemployment rate now stands at 7.4 percent, which is the lowest it’s been since October of 2008, just before the recession.

“I am proud that ‘One City, One Hire’ has not only reached its goal of helping 10,000 unemployed District residents find work, but we have exceeded that goal,” Gray said in a statement. “‘One City, One Hire’ has helped to reduce unemployment in the District of Columbia to an almost six-year low.”

But not everyone has been praiseworthy of “One City, One Hire.” Despite taking three times as long to hit its goal as Gray originally planned, the Post reports that some have been skeptical that the initiative is “mostly a rebranding of existing programs,” while some have “[questioned] the lack of tracking of outcomes for those who are matched with jobs.”

Still, it’s hard to scoff at the statistics: About 1,200 employers took part in the initiative to hire 10,162 unemployed residents in three years. The Post also reports that, while Gray’s time in office comes to an end, he hopes whoever takes the mantel continues “One City, One Hire.” “It’s a program that has worked,” Gray said. “They can call it whatever they want to call it, I don’t care.”

In the meantime, Gray said that his “[administration] will continue to work to help all District residents who want to work find meaningful employment.”