96 Groups Receive DOL's First YouthBuild Awards
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced on Oct. 12 the award of $47 million to 96 groups that will provide education in construction as well as leadership training to at-risk young people across the United States, who will take part in building affordable housing in their own communities.
Dayton's Improved Solutions for Urban Systems, one of the award-winning organizations, hosted the department's announcement of its first YouthBuild grant selections from hundreds of competitively screened proposals.
"These $47 million in YouthBuild awards will help at-risk youths get the education, training and opportunity they need to achieve a better life," Chao said.
YouthBuild will include individuals who have been in the juvenile justice system, young people aging out of foster care, high school dropouts, and others.
The awards are the result of a competition begun in April, during which 322 qualified applications were received. Organizations chosen for YouthBuild funding include workforce investment boards, faith-based and community groups, and local and nonprofit housing development agencies.
Congress transferred YouthBuild from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to DOL in 2006. The program's original goals remain--to educate, provide construction training, and employ at-risk youth in their communities--while a greater emphasis is being placed on offering postsecondary education and forging stronger links with the One-Stop Career Center system and the nation's community colleges.
For more information, visit www.doleta.gov/youth_services.