TANF Summer Youth Program

NEWS RELEASE

The Crawford County Economic Development Partnership (CCEDP) and Crawford County Jobs and Family Services (CCJFS) are teaming up to make a positive impact on county youth and on the local economy.

Recently, the CCEDP signed a contract in cooperation with CCJFS that will allow the CCEDP to manage the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Summer Youth Program.

The program is already underway. It began June 14 and has already placed 40 young people in summer jobs with 15 local employers. The $265,000 program will continue until Aug. 31 with sights on employing roughly 50 more Crawford County youth throughout its duration.

The main goal: to partner with local businesses and help 14 to 24 year olds (who meet eligibility requirements) gain workforce skills and life skills. To qualify, applicants must live in a household with a minor child and meet household income limits. Youths will be paid by the employer and will learn aspects of the employer’s trade while participating in mentoring and guidance programs.

The main challenge: finding more participants. In addition to looking for more youths, the program is in need of local employers who are seeking summer help. Employers will be reimbursed for the youth’s wages and benefits up to $10 per hour through federal funding, and employers who wish to continue employing participants beyond Aug. 31 may do so.

The benefits of the program are immeasurable for all who are involved: the CCEDP, CCJFS, local employers, county youth and the entirety of the Crawford County community.

The CCEDP leads Crawford: 20/20 Vision – a county-wide initiative to take hold of challenges and turn them around to shape a better future for Crawford County. In discussions generated through the Vision project, community members identified jobs as the number one pressing issue.

A consistent problem within the realm of jobs is the ‘brain drain’ the county is experiencing. Local young professionals go away to college and do not return to apply their education in the county’s workforce.

While that is a valid concern, there is an additional percentage of youth who are bound by financial hardship, teen pregnancy and parenting and other issues. Their talents and potential must also be cultivated and retained.

The summer youth program gives young people the tools to succeed as employees and as productive members of society. The TANF program is of equal opportunity, provided by equal opportunity employers and providers.

Young people are the future of Crawford County.

Employers interested in participating in the TANF Summer Youth program are invited to contact Dave Williamson, director of the CCEDP, at 419-563-1809 or JFS Jobs Coordinator Tina Snyder at 419-562-8066, ext. 301. To learn more about the CCEDP, visit www.growcrawford.org.

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