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Local Program For At-Risk Youth Gets $1.1 Million In Federal Funds

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded Louisville’s YouthBuild program $1.1 million to provide job training to at-risk youth in the city.

Seventy-two other programs across the country were also awarded grants from the federal government, but Louisville received the highest funding level possible.

The money will help provide services like GED classes, construction and nursing certification and leadership development to 70 young people over a 30-month period.

“What YouthBuild continues to do is to teach people who come through this program how to be active citizens rather than just being residents,” said Metro Council president David Tandy.

YouthBuild gears its services to people who have dropped out of high school, been in trouble with the law or are aging out of foster care.

Tandy joined Mayor Greg Fischer and Congressman John Yarmuth in announcing the award Monday. Tandy said the grant will provide a much-needed boost to YouthBuild, which helps struggling young people in the city.

“They are getting those soft skills that allow for them to transition into job that we have here in the market place and their being able to be good examples for their families for their friends and for the broader community," he said.

Yarmuth, D-Louisville, said the program is particularly competitive nationwide, which is why it received the most money that could be awarded.

“In a time when federal funding has been cut and grant money is scarce, this award speaks volumes to the success of YouthBuild Louisville in helping young people pursue an education while obtaining workforce skills,” Yarmuth said in a press release.