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 ecosystem. Officials said the grant extends opportunities for older teens and young adults and is intended to reach priority populations — including young people with disabilities, foster youth, individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and court‑involved youth — with wraparound services that range beyond wages to case management and training.

Program design and partners Commonwealth Corporation requires a common curriculum (Signal Success) and evidence‑based practices for funded programs, Sher said. The Office of Workforce Development described seven subrecipients and several city departments as partners for this award; officials did not list award amounts by subrecipient at the hearing. Sher highlighted a Wentworth partnership that pairs YouthBuild Boston students with classes and industry exposure and noted that some programs offer credit‑bearing college courses and apprenticeships.

Joseph Lee, chief of staff in the Office of Workforce Development, said the office acts as an intermediary with Commonwealth Corporation and works closely with the PIC and other partners on reporting and program alignment. “We communicate very closely, particularly with, YEO, as the sub recipient here. We participate in all of the future boss ecosystem meetings and have just an open line of communication with their team,” Lee said.

Questions from councilors and staff follow‑up requests Councilors pressed for more detail on priority populations and seat counts. Councilor Worrell asked how “at risk” is defined; officials replied that Commonwealth Corporation identifies a broad set of priority populations and that the Office of Workforce Development uses referrals and partner screening to target services, including a local program known as YOU (Youth Options Unlimited) that provides intensive wraparound supports and case management. Lee and Sher said YOU receives multiple funding sources and referral pipelines (including community safety teams and partner organizations) rather than open enrollment.

Sher said YOU typically serves about 80–85 young people during summer cohorts and roughly 200–250 across the full year when school‑year programming is included. She said YouthWorks dollars specifically fund about 60 summer slots at YOU: “Specifically, the youth works dollars are funding about 60 seats at YOU focusing on the summer slots.” Sher and Lee said YouthWorks funding is braided with other city operating dollars, donations and grants to serve additional participants.

Councilors asked for follow‑up materials. Lee and Sher agreed to provide more detail on the number of participants with disabilities, a breakdown of funding that supports YOU, and information about programming at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf, which Sher mentioned as a host site for paraprofessional placements.

Eligibility questions Councilors asked whether undocumented youth are eligible for YouthWorks‑funded placements. Sher said eligibility can depend on the subrecipient’s policies and that she did not have a definitive list at the hearing; later in the discussion Sher stated, “These dollars for youth works cannot be used for undocumented students. That's the guidance that we've been provided by the state.” Officials said some nonprofits the city partners with may run programs that serve undocumented young people using different funding sources.

Administrative notes and next steps Sher described the grant administration approach: most funds go to subrecipients for wages and supports, a small portion covers grant administration and technical assistance, and programs must follow Commonwealth Corporation’s curriculum and reporting requirements. Councilors said they intend to advance the matter to the full council; Chair Erin Murphy said the committee will put the item forward at the next council meeting. The hearing on docket 0887 concluded without a committee vote recorded at the session.

Ending Councilors thanked the Office of Workforce Development staff for the presentation and asked for the additional data requested. The committee adjourned at the end of the hearing.