Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Employment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hamilton County outlines CCMEP and youth-employment supports as summer demand climbs
Summary
Hamilton County Office of Youth manager Sarah Gray told the City Councilcommittee the county will again run CCMEP and YEP programs this summer, describing eligibility, services and employer vetting, and saying county programs expect to serve hundreds of youths even as applications outpace placements.
Sarah Gray, manager of the Hamilton County Office of Youth, told the Cincinnati City CouncilYouth and Human Services Committee that the countyOffice coordinates several workforce programs aimed at improving outcomes for young people.
Gray described two core programs: CCMEP (Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program), which she said "empowers low income youth 14 to 24 to build meaningful career pathways," and the Youth Employment Program (YEP), aimed at ages 14 to 21. CCMEP targets residents who are low income and facing barriers such as lack of basic skills, pregnancy or parenting, court involvement or housing instability, and offers services ranging from comprehensive case management to financial literacy, mentoring and paid and unpaid work experiences.
"The youth employment program has been very similar to CCMEP historically," Gray said, explaining that recent budget limits have shifted some supportive services from direct county provision to referral-based connections with partner organizations. She recommended providers and referring agencies use the county website to submit eligibility applications and offered to share a highlight video after the meeting.
Gray and Tim Dingler of Hamilton County Job and Family Services described expected program scale and funding. Gray said the county aims to serve "close to 1,000" youth across both CCMEP and YEP this summer, with the YEP alone projected to serve roughly 300 to 400 participants. She said the youth employment program historically relied on children-services levy dollars and summer TANF funds; "historically, we've had between $5 million and $8 million [in levy dollars] and about $400,000 TANF," Gray said, adding the county's current levy allocation is about $1,000,000 and projections suggest roughly 600 youth could be employed this year given pending TANF decisions.
Dingler said the state TANF allocation that supports CCMEP covers roughly $4,000,000 for year-round programs and that CCMEP currently funds about 700 youths in its more intensive case-management tracks.
Committee members asked how employers connect with the county program. Gray said employers undergo a vetting process through county providers; once vetted, the program seeks to match youth with opportunities near their interests and skills following a basic-skills assessment. Gray urged employers to offer a range of experiences, including job-shadowing and internships, not only traditional entry-level tasks.
Council members praised the interagency coordination and urged increased staffing and pay for social workers who support case management. Chair Albee and Vice Mayor J. Michelle Limon Kearney flagged the large number of applicants and asked how the city and county might collaborate to increase placements.
The committee did not take formal action on the presentation. The county provided application and contact details on its public workforce pages for follow-up.
