Mahoning County program for at-risk teens loses federal funding

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A local program that trains high school dropouts for skilled trades is losing its federal funding. The Department of Labor cut the $570,000 that funds Youth Build Mahoning County.

At a press conference to announce the cuts, several graduates of Youth Build Mahoning County said they'd be different people without it.

"Without them I'd either be dead or in jail or I'd be one of those bums on the street begging for change," said graduate Robert Reed of Youngstown.

But now Reed goes to college, has a house and a family, and like his classmates, improved his life.

"It gave me a second chance," said fellow graduate Renee Hilbert of Youngstown. "I was out of school for three months before I started the program and I had no intentions of going back. But I had to because I had a kid."  Now Renee has a full time job and completed classes at Y.S.U.

But the program that changed their lives is losing funding.

"We have about 60 kids that enroll," said Director of Housing Authority Clifford Scott. "Clearly with the next class it's going to be a lot less than that."

The 10 year-old program is losing $540,000 in funding to train at-risk kids for construction jobs, life as an adult and helps them to earn their GED.

"It taught me how to control my money," explained Reed. "Also taught me how to respect elders."

At a press conference, officials in the building trades industry also voiced concern over losing the program.

"When you talk about inclusiveness and get people from all sorts of backgrounds this program does that," pointed out Timothy Callion of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 396. "So it would be a travesty to lose that."

"This is really a good way for us to get the young men and women that might not have these opportunities given to them," added Tony DiTommaso of Carpenters Local 171.

And students say the community won't be the same without them either.

"There's been times we've gone to parks and cleaned up the trash and planted flowers and things like that," said graduate and Girard resident Myran Clark. "So it's a community school as well."

Youth Build officials plan to start fundraising immediately so that students might have the same opportunities next fall.