Boston hearing reviews $4.15 million YouthWorks grant to fund summer and school‑year jobs for low‑income, at‑risk youth

The Boston City Council Committee on Strong Women, Families, and Communities held a hearing April 24 on docket 0887, a message authorizing the city to accept and expend $4,149,200 in YouthWorks grant funds awarded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and administered through the Office of Workforce Development.

The grant is state-funded and, according to Anna Sher, assistant deputy director for grants management at the Office of Workforce Development, “This is a subsidized youth employment program designed to support, at risk and low income youth age 14 to 25.” Sher said Commonwealth Corporation sets program policies and priorities and that Boston is one of 16 local workforce regions that apply for the funds.

The grant will be routed primarily to subrecipients and city departments that run the programming. Sher said the city was awarded $4,149,200 and that the funding “will serve just over a thousand young people in our city.” She said the majority of the dollars go to subrecipients for youth wages, support services and other program costs, while a small portion covers administration within the Office of Workforce Development to manage partners and provide technical assistance.

Why it matters: Councilors and staff described the YouthWorks dollars as complementary to Boston’s existing youth employment…