SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE OVER $5 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN NEW YORK STATE

YouthBuild Program Participants Develop Formative Occupational And Academic Skills Training By Giving Back To Their Communities: In The Last Three Years, Over 1,000 New York YouthBuild Participants Have Built 97 Houses And Rehabbed At Least 146 Units Of Housing 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $5,258,126 in YouthBuild funding for four organizations across New York State. This federal funding, allocated through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, helps at-risk youth from ages 16 to 24 develop skills and knowledge to gain industry-recognized job credentials, apprenticeships, and employment. In the United States alone, there are 3 million young adults in this age group who are living in poverty and are neither in school nor employed.

“YouthBuild is a vital lifeline for at-risk young adults across Upstate New York, giving many young adults a chance to jumpstart their careers and ultimately make a better life for themselves,” said Senator Schumer. “I am pleased that the Department of Labor has recognized the importance of the YouthBuild program and look forward to hearing about its many successes across the state. Especially after the pandemic, which left many young adults stranded in an unyielding job market, the YouthBuild program will be vital in helping young people secure good jobs in an improving economy. I am proud to deliver this funding for YouthBuild programs in Upstate New York, and I will always fight to secure good jobs for our youth.”

“YouthBuild has a proven track record of preparing youth throughout New York State with the skills and mentorship necessary to get good jobs and achieve their full potential,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This forward thinking funding will provide at-risk youth with opportunities to receive skills training and learn critical vocational skills, and will help our economy emerge stronger than ever from the COVID-19 pandemic. I am proud to lead efforts to fund the YouthBuild program. It is essential that our education system works for all students and ensures young people have the resources they need to get good jobs in key industries across New York State.”

The YouthBuild evidence-based model helps participants earn their high school diploma or equivalent and teaches job skills through community service, including building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people in their communities. Immediately following the program, 50% of all enrollees successfully placed in either employment or postsecondary education. Four organizations in New York received a total of $5,258,126 in YouthBuild funding through the U.S. Department of Labor. YouthBuild is a community-based pre-apprenticeship program that provides young people opportunities to complete high school or state equivalency degree programs, earn industry-recognized certifications for in-demand jobs, and undergo training to build housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their communities.

Senator Gillibrand is a long-term advocate for YouthBuild and successfully pushes for federal funding yearly. Earlier this month, she recently visited East Harlem where YouthBuild began over 40 years ago and led her colleagues in calling for increasing the funding for YouthBuild in Fiscal Year 2022. In 2020, she led a bipartisan push securing $96,534,000 in funds for YouthBuild during Fiscal Year 2021.

Funding Recipients Listed Below:

Total: $5,258,126

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