Lowey, Engel Announce $1.1 Million to Expand Second Chances for 80 At-Risk Youth in Westchester County

Press Release

Congresswoman Nita Lowey, the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, and Congressman Eliot Engel, the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today announced a $1,100,000 U.S.Department of Labor (DOL) YouthBuild grant to the Westchester County Department of Social Services (DSS) in White Plains, NY, to support additional academic and occupational skills training for 80 at-risk youth in Westchester. Of that total, 20 youth will be in Peekskill, 20 in Mt. Vernon, and 40 in Yonkers.

"We must invest in at-risk youth to provide the skills and training that will lead to productive, independent lives," said Lowey. "I'm pleased federal funds from YouthBuild will support second chances and help 80 at-risk youth gain instruction and job training in the construction and home building fields. As Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue fighting to protect investments that improve quality of life of all residents in the Lower Hudson Valley."

"I believe it is a moral imperative for us to do all that we can to invest in our at-risk youth populations here in Westchester," said Engel. "Supporting these young men and women has the potential not only to change their lives, but also to revitalize the communities in which they live. As the Representative for both Mt. Vernon and Yonkers, I am excited to hear that these federal funds will be used to provide additional academic and occupational skills training to so many in those communities, and I am confident they will make the most of this wonderful opportunity."

YouthBuild is a non-residential, community-based alternative education program that provides classroom instruction and occupational skills training in construction and other in-demand occupations to 16-24 year-olds who have been in the juvenile justice system, are aging out of foster care, have dropped out of high school, or are otherwise at-risk of failing to reach key educational and career milestones.

The U.S.Department of Labor announced the award of nearly $76 million in YouthBuild grants to fund 72 programs in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The grants will serve an estimated 4,800 participants nationally over the course of the next three years.

This is the first round of YouthBuild grants awarded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The law, which went into effect on July 1, 2015, led to several changes to YouthBuild including putting a greater focus on improving the quality and energy efficiency of buildings serving low-income and homeless individuals and families; enabling students who leave the program to re-enroll more easily; and supporting further program alignment with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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