Van Buren Youth Initiative reports slow ARPA spending, expands after‑school programs countywide

Van Buren Youth Initiative representative Erin Cluharski told the Van Buren County Committee of the Whole on Feb. 25 that the program is expanding activities across the county but is not yet spending American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as rapidly as planned.

Cluharski, who presented the initiative’s first quarterly ARPA report, said partners Luke’s Light and Southaven Center for the Arts have increased programming days and attendance, and that a new building purchase by Luke’s Light in Paw Paw has helped draw more students. “We are not on track to spend as quickly as we wanted to. But we've put some things in place … to ensure that we do spend the funds in the amount of time that we need to,” Cluharski said.

The report described multiple programs that began in the fall and winter: an 8‑week cooking class run with Bronson Healthcare Group that filled within 48 hours, guitar and art classes that have grown from single‑digit to consistent mid‑20s attendance at some sessions, and a new Bangor home‑economics class run in partnership with Simpson United Methodist Church and Bangor High School. Cluharski said pop‑up after‑school programming and the ability to draw students from across the county — including homeschooled and Michigan virtual students — are contributing to growth.

Cluharski listed primary challenges as insufficient programming days to meet budget timelines, transportation barriers that limit access, and paused partnerships (she cited a temporary pause with YDC) while the initiative scales. To address those issues, the initiative will extend funding for partners through the summer, work with local transit to provide student transport, and seek additional grants and capital funding to purchase equipment such as iPads and Procreate software.

The presentation included letters from parents and a student describing personal benefits from art programming; Cluharski read a letter from a mother who credited art with increasing her child's focus and confidence. Commissioners praised the report, asked about transportation funding and partners (Cluharski said county transit has been providing free transport for some students), and encouraged work to expand into other parts of the county including Hartford and the Bloomingdale area.

Cluharski said quantitative outcome data (surveys, attendance‑to‑outcome measures) are not yet available, but that she is working to collect it for future reports. She also said the initiative is seeking larger grants and has begun outreach to other funders and ISD contacts to secure capital grants and program funding.

The Committee did not take formal action to change funding at the meeting; the report was presented as an update and commissioners commended the initiative’s progress.