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Committee advances amendment to summer youth employment contract after program update

Cuyahoga County Environment and Education Committee · June 19, 2025

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Summary

The committee advanced Resolution 20250214, authorizing an amendment to master contracts for a summer youth employment program funded by TANF allocations; Youth Opportunities Unlimited told the committee it received over 8,000 applications and placed roughly 1,900 youth into work.

The Cuyahoga County Environment and Education Committee moved Resolution 20250214 out of committee, authorizing an amendment to master contracts for the county's summer youth employment program. The amendment covers services for low-income youth across an age range described in committee discussion and extends the contract period from Nov. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2025.

Marcos Cortez of Health and Human Services said the county receives an annual TANF allocation to support the program and that the master contract includes two vendors: Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) serving younger teens and Verge serving older participants. "We have two vendors on this master contract, YOU and Verge," Cortez said; he explained YOU serves the younger group and Verge the older population.

Eric Delenbeck, director of work experience programs at Youth Opportunities Unlimited, told the committee the program saw a large rebound since the COVID-19 pandemic: "Last summer, we had over 8,000 youth apply, and this summer, we are hovering right around that same number. We had over 2,000 young people be determined eligible for funding ... about 1,900 youth who attended orientation ... close to 1,900 youth that actually started work," he said. Delenbeck also explained that work permits are issued by school districts and that YOU conducts multiple regional orientation sessions.

Committee members asked about age ranges and logistics; staff said YOU handles younger participants while Verge handles older ones. With those clarifications, the committee voted to move the amendment out of committee for second reading at the full council.