GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Congresswoman Hillary Scholten announced more than $1 million will be given to a community youth program in Grand Rapids.
Scholten pointed out a statistic suggesting the average Black person in Grand Rapids face multiple disadvantages, ranging from lack of transportation, educational opportunities and health disparities. We’re told the money will help provide counter that statistic.
“Grand Rapids has so much to be proud of it for the way that we have grown over the last 5, 10, even 20 years, but that growth has not been felt equally across the board,” says Scholten. “Unfortunately, Grand Rapids consistently tops the list of one of the worst cities in America to be Black."
The Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation’s YouthBuild program will benefit from the nearly $1.4 million grant, helping at-risk people between 18 and 24 residing in the Madison Square neighborhood. They will learn on-the-job occupational construction and trade skills.
Participants can also earn their GED.
Scholten says the YouthBuild program has demonstrated an ability to use the grant to bring meaningful change.
"One of the things that I think is really exciting about YouthBuild is their connections in the community. You know, being able to find, you know, those students who might not necessarily show up at a job skills career fair,” adds Scholten. “We were talking with a young gentleman here. We said, ‘You know, how'd you hear about this?’ He said, ‘You know, somebody came over to my mom's house for dinner and just started telling me about it.’ … People here are deeply connected in the community and able to find individuals who might benefit from this program and bring them in."
YouthBuild has graduated 45 students since 2017, and 82% of them have acquired jobs in construction or other skilled trades.
The new grant will help the program increase enrollment from 62 per group to 84.
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