U.S. Department of Labor Awards Up to $85 Million In Youthbuild Grants to 67 Grantees

WASHINGTON, DC –The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of 67 grants totaling up to $85 million to support and expand YouthBuild programs across the country. YouthBuild provides at-risk youth, ages 16-24, with education and occupational skill development to obtain employment in construction and other in-demand industries.

"Job training and education are key to preparing our nation's young men and women for economic success," U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said. "By investing in these local workforce development programs, the Department is expanding opportunities for at-risk youth in communities across the country."

"Youthbuild programs have the ability to change the lives of thousands of American students," said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John Pallasch. "Today's announcement will provide new opportunities for young people across the country to take the first step toward good-paying careers."

The Department has administered the YouthBuild program since 2006. Program participants learn construction skills while constructing or rehabilitating affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their own neighborhoods, as well as other occupational skills for in-demand industries that also require real-world work experience components. Young people split their time between the occupational skills training site and the classroom, where they earn their high school diploma or equivalency degree and prepare for postsecondary opportunities.

The individual awards will range from $740,737 to $1.5 million each:

Grant Recipient City State Amount Eufaula Housing Authority Eufaula AL $1,500,000.00 Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas De Queen AR $844,425.00 Little Rock Workforce Development Board Little Rock AR $1,080,000.00 Able-Disabled Advocacy Inc. San Diego CA $1,312,500.00 Alliance for Community Empowerment Inc. Canoga Park CA $1,500,000.00 Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission Fresno CA $1,500,000.00 Richmond Workforce Development Board Richmond CA $1,080,000.00 San Joaquin County Office of Education Stockton CA $1,100,000.00 South Bay Workforce Investment Board Inc. Hawthorne CA $1,300,000.00 The Youth Employment Partnership Inc. Oakland CA $1,408,072.00 Volunteers of America of Los Angeles Los Angeles CA $1,500,000.00 Community Renewal Team Inc. Hartford CT $1,202,143.00 Citrus Levy Marion Regional Workforce Development Board Inc. Ocala FL $740,737.00 Tampa Bay Academy of Hope Tampa FL $1,500,000.00 CHRIS 180 Inc. Atlanta GA $1,038,378.00 Georgia Building Trades Academy Inc. Atlanta GA $1,500,000.00 Southwest Georgia United Empowerment Zone Inc. Cordele GA $1,496,644.00 City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services Honolulu HI $1,350,000.00 Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny IA $915,697.00 Comprehensive Community Solutions Rockford IL $1,225,000.00 Housing Authority of Champaign County Champaign IL $1,500,000.00 Youth Conservation Corps, Waukegan Waukegan IL $1,500,000.00 YouthBuild Lake County North Chicago IL $1,350,000.00 Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission Covington KY $1,109,800.00 Young Adult Development in Action Inc. Louisville KY $1,500,000.00 Quad Area Community Action Agency Inc. Hammond LA $1,100,000.00 Community Teamwork Inc. Lowell MA $1,440,000.00 People Acting in Community Endeavors Inc. New Bedford MA $1,102,295.00 YouthBuild Boston Boston MA $813,600.00 Volunteers of America Chesapeake Inc. Lanham MD $1,408,072.00 Goodwill Industries of Northern New England Gorham ME $1,227,101.00 LearningWorks Portland ME $1,080,000.00 Bethany Christian Services Grand Rapids MI $1,500,000.00 Detroit Employment Solutions Corp. Detroit MI $1,500,000.00 SER Metro-Detroit, Jobs for Progress Inc. Detroit MI $1,330,343.00 YouthDevelopment Corporation USA Saginaw MI $1,499,917.00 Bi-County Community Action Programs Inc. Bemidji MN $972,000.00 Guadalupe Alternative Programs, dba Change Inc. Saint Paul MN $1,500,000.00 CLIMB Community Development Corp. Gulfport MS $1,499,999.00 West Jackson Community Development Corp. Jackson MS $1,500,000.00 Career Training Institute Helena MT $1,180,800.00 Grace Mar Services Inc. Charlotte NC $1,500,000.00 Nu Dimensions Hickory NC $887,074.00 United Community Corp. Newark NJ $1,500,000.00 YouthBuild Newark Newark NJ $1,500,000.00 Catholic Charities Diocese of Rochester, dba Catholic Family Center Rochester NY $1,134,000.00 Mohawk Valley Community College Utica NY $1,254,060.00 Nubian Directions II Inc. Poughkeepsie NY $1,500,000.00 The Crenulated Company Ltd., dba New Settlement Apartments New York NY $1,500,000.00 The Service Collaborative of Western New York Inc. Buffalo NY $1,500,000.00 Ulster YouthBuild LLC Kingston NY $987,881.00 Urban League of Rochester, N.Y. Inc. Rochester NY $1,100,000.00 Youth Action Program and Homes Inc. New York NY $1,500,000.00 Easter Seals TriState LLC Cincinnati OH $1,238,186.00 OhioGuidestone Berea OH $1,100,000.00 Portland YouthBuilders Portland OR $1,500,000.00 Philadelphia Youth for Change Charter School Philadelphia PA $1,300,000.00 AMIkids Beaufort Inc. Seabrook SC $1,142,410.00 100 Black Men of San Antonio Inc. San Antonio TX $1,500,000.00 Community Learning Center dba CLC, Inc. Fort Worth TX $1,100,000.00 Walker Montgomery Community Development Corp. New Waverly TX $1,048,156.00 Community Youth Services Olympia WA $1,150,000.00 Northeast Washington Educational Service District 101 Spokane WA $1,151,210.00 Olympic Educational Service District Number 114 Bremerton WA $1,078,781.00 Community Relations-Social Development Commission Milwaukee WI $1,408,072.00 Elkhorn Area School District Elkhorn WI $899,999.00 Operation Fresh Start Inc. Madison WI $869,948.00

For additional information on the Department of Labor's YouthBuild program, visit https://www.doleta.gov/Youth_services/YouthBuild.cfm.

For additional information on grant eligibility and how to apply for funds, visit http://www.grants.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.