03
May
2005
After being suspended and kicked out of Rock Island High School for not attending class almost 90 percent of the time a year and a half ago, Adam Anderson decided it was time to do something with his life. Soon after, he joined Rock Island Youthbuild and began attending classes at the Black Hawk Learning Center. "I would probably be living on the street if it had not been for the program," he said with a confident look on his face. "I never would have thought I would be at this point in my life."
Youthbuild is a not-for-profit learning program that provides construction training, education, and life skills to at-risk young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 years old. Participants in the program build houses for low- to moderate-income families and work on various other projects in Rock Island while attending classes at the Black Hawk College Technology Center or Thurgood Marshall Learning Center.
But Youthbuild on a national level is facing federal cutbacks. And the local program could run out of money later this year if it doesn't find new sources of funds, and risks being scaled back or eliminated.
"These Are People That Most People Have Given Up On"
All Youthbuild participants either dropped out of school or were on their way to dropping out of school before joining the program, said Rock Island Youthbuild Director John Vogt.
The Youthbuild program is designed to help keep troubled young adults in school by teaching them real-life construction skills through building projects in Rock Island while they attend school to earn a GED or high-school diploma.
Since the local program was created in 2002, students have worked on numerous projects, including building a large-scale ramp for the handicapped and a fire escape at the Hope House community literacy center at 925 14th Street, helping renovate the historic Sala Flats building in downtown Rock Island, and replacing crumbling sidewalks in the Longview neighborhood.
But the program is best known for its full-scale construction of new homes for low- and moderate-income people in the Longview historic area, on 15th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues.
So far, the students have completed one house at 716 15th Street and are more than halfway done with a second house. Both houses were built from the ground up on vacant lots in the Longview neighborhood.
"The students spend half the day building houses and the other half in school," Vogt said. The schools split the day. Black Hawk students work at the construction site from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and then attend school until 3:30 p.m. Thurgood students go to school in the morning and work at the construction site in the afternoon.
Some of the features of the completed two-story, three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot house include a two-car garage, central air and heat, a fully landscaped yard, and a fenced-in backyard.
The second house, still under construction, is located at 728 15th Street. The main exterior portions of both the house and garage are finished except for the roof and siding.
The students are provided a flat fee of $20 per day as long as they attend class, and have a chance to get a raise for working hard as well as a $100 bonus each time they have perfect attendance for one month, which serves as an incentive for participants to stick with the program.
Vogt said that early in the program he didn't think the money would make much of a difference, but he noticed more students wanting to stay on the program longer.
"The fact that these kids are making some money has helped a lot of the kids who would have to get a job at a fast-food place or somewhere else and allows them to stay in school," Vogt said. "It's not a living wage, but it is a way for the students to have transportation [and] money to buy lunch, keep their clothes up, and in some cases help support their families."
The local Youthbuild is one of approximately 200 such programs nationwide spearheaded by YouthBuild U.S.A., a national not-for-profit organization that lobbies the federal government for funding, provides leadership opportunities for youth and staff, and distributes grants and loans to YouthBuild affiliates. Since the national YouthBuild organization was established in 1990, more than 20,000 young people have helped build more than 7,000 units of affordable housing.
The Rock Island Youthbuild program will be three years old this month. Since it began, 69 students from Thurgood Marshall Learning Center and Black Hawk College have participated in the program. The average attendance for all of the students has been 76 percent, and 55 students stayed in the program for a month or longer. Students can generally stay in Youthbuild for two years.
To date, 20 percent of the 69 trainees that have participated in the program have already earned a college degree. And 45 percent of the students that are currently in the program and have participated for at least one month are expected to earn a college degree within the next two years, Vogt said.
While holding up a detailed attendance sheet and with a big grin on his face, Vogt said the fact that 14 participants from the past two years will earn a diploma or GED shows the program is having a positive impact.
"Remember these are all at-risk kids - drug problems, alcohol problems, troubles with the law, you name it," Vogt said. "These are people that most people have given up on and would have not have finished school, that have finished school and actually graduated or are on-track to graduate."
Shawna Luppen was missing about 40 percent of her classes at Black Hawk until she signed on with the program more than two years ago. Now she has a nearly perfect attendance record and received an award for being the most-improved student in school at the end of her first year with Youthbuild.
Eighteen-year-old Christina Pedraza said that before she started the program, she didn't even know how to use a tape measure, and now she can do just about anything when it comes to working on a house. In addition to her usual duties, Pedraza is also a crew leader on site. "I have learned a lot and it really makes me feel good to teach other people how to do things," she said.
Pedraza said she also has plans to continue to use the construction skills she has obtained from the program to pursue a career in carpentry or to get a college degree.
"It's not just a short-term, get them in here, keep them in school, and graduate them thing," Vogt said. "It's a get them in here, keep them in school, and help graduate, go to college, learn a trade, or get a job doing something they want to do thing."
HOPE on the Horizon?
The local program was created by several Rock Island organizations in 2002 in association with the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Up to now, it has been funded primarily by a $400,000 grant from HUD it received the year of its inception.
Youthbuild programs nationwide, including in Rock Island, could find themselves strapped for cash soon. President Bush's Fiscal Year 2006 budget proposal calls for $59 million in funding for the Youthbuild program nationally, a 4-percent cut from the $62 million in Fiscal Year 2005.
"The Bush administration has been cutting funding for the Youthbuild program every year, ... and last year they recommended eliminating the program altogether," Vogt said.
Lissette Rodriguez, senior vice president for field development and program excellence for YouthBuild USA, said nothing is final yet, and her organization is working to get YouthBuild's national budget back up to $62 million. She said the ultimate goal would be to get $90 million in funding.
Rodriguez said the fact that the Rock Island program hasn't received any federal funding in two years is not an isolated incident; it's happening all over the country. "The budget cuts are happening all across the board," she said. "A lot of programs like YouthBuild USA and HUD are all experiencing a 4-percent reduction in funding."
Currently, the local Youthbuild has approximately $105,000 - roughly $30,000 from its original grant, and $75,000 it's generated in other ways. That money is expected to finance the program through December, which is why Vogt is looking into alternative sources of money for the program beyond the federal government. Rock Island Youthbuild has an overall annual budget of roughly $450,000.
Vogt said Youthbuild is looking to continue to finance the program in three ways: grants, contributions, and earned income. "We [Youthbuild] have several major grant applications outstanding at this time," Vogt said. "The most significant of these is the HUD-HOPE VI grant."
The HUD-HOPE VI grant could be up to $400,000 spread out over a period of 54 months. If the request for the HOPE VI grant is approved at the maximum amount, the local program would receive a little less than $90,000 a year.
The program also hopes to continue to receive approximately $170,000 of "in-kind" contributions a year, such as the use of classroom facilities, faculty, staff, and equipment from the Rock Island Public Schools and Black Hawk College.
Furthermore, it would like to raise another $50,000 each year in earned income from Youthbuild projects, such as the house the students completed. When the house is sold, any revenue above the actual cost of construction would go back into the Youthbuild program. The house has a current list price of $92,900, and Vogt expects homes to generate $15,000 to $20,000 apiece for the program.
Even if those three sources come through in the maximum amounts, however, Rock Island Youthbuild would still have an annual budget gap of nearly $140,000.
That deficit could mean trouble for Vogt's dream for Youthbuild. He wants to expand the program into Davenport and Bettendorf in the next two or three years.
Youthbuild is a not-for-profit learning program that provides construction training, education, and life skills to at-risk young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 years old. Participants in the program build houses for low- to moderate-income families and work on various other projects in Rock Island while attending classes at the Black Hawk College Technology Center or Thurgood Marshall Learning Center.
But Youthbuild on a national level is facing federal cutbacks. And the local program could run out of money later this year if it doesn't find new sources of funds, and risks being scaled back or eliminated.
"These Are People That Most People Have Given Up On"
All Youthbuild participants either dropped out of school or were on their way to dropping out of school before joining the program, said Rock Island Youthbuild Director John Vogt.
The Youthbuild program is designed to help keep troubled young adults in school by teaching them real-life construction skills through building projects in Rock Island while they attend school to earn a GED or high-school diploma.
Since the local program was created in 2002, students have worked on numerous projects, including building a large-scale ramp for the handicapped and a fire escape at the Hope House community literacy center at 925 14th Street, helping renovate the historic Sala Flats building in downtown Rock Island, and replacing crumbling sidewalks in the Longview neighborhood.
But the program is best known for its full-scale construction of new homes for low- and moderate-income people in the Longview historic area, on 15th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues.
So far, the students have completed one house at 716 15th Street and are more than halfway done with a second house. Both houses were built from the ground up on vacant lots in the Longview neighborhood.
"The students spend half the day building houses and the other half in school," Vogt said. The schools split the day. Black Hawk students work at the construction site from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and then attend school until 3:30 p.m. Thurgood students go to school in the morning and work at the construction site in the afternoon.
Some of the features of the completed two-story, three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot house include a two-car garage, central air and heat, a fully landscaped yard, and a fenced-in backyard.
The second house, still under construction, is located at 728 15th Street. The main exterior portions of both the house and garage are finished except for the roof and siding.
The students are provided a flat fee of $20 per day as long as they attend class, and have a chance to get a raise for working hard as well as a $100 bonus each time they have perfect attendance for one month, which serves as an incentive for participants to stick with the program.
Vogt said that early in the program he didn't think the money would make much of a difference, but he noticed more students wanting to stay on the program longer.
"The fact that these kids are making some money has helped a lot of the kids who would have to get a job at a fast-food place or somewhere else and allows them to stay in school," Vogt said. "It's not a living wage, but it is a way for the students to have transportation [and] money to buy lunch, keep their clothes up, and in some cases help support their families."
The local Youthbuild is one of approximately 200 such programs nationwide spearheaded by YouthBuild U.S.A., a national not-for-profit organization that lobbies the federal government for funding, provides leadership opportunities for youth and staff, and distributes grants and loans to YouthBuild affiliates. Since the national YouthBuild organization was established in 1990, more than 20,000 young people have helped build more than 7,000 units of affordable housing.
The Rock Island Youthbuild program will be three years old this month. Since it began, 69 students from Thurgood Marshall Learning Center and Black Hawk College have participated in the program. The average attendance for all of the students has been 76 percent, and 55 students stayed in the program for a month or longer. Students can generally stay in Youthbuild for two years.
To date, 20 percent of the 69 trainees that have participated in the program have already earned a college degree. And 45 percent of the students that are currently in the program and have participated for at least one month are expected to earn a college degree within the next two years, Vogt said.
While holding up a detailed attendance sheet and with a big grin on his face, Vogt said the fact that 14 participants from the past two years will earn a diploma or GED shows the program is having a positive impact.
"Remember these are all at-risk kids - drug problems, alcohol problems, troubles with the law, you name it," Vogt said. "These are people that most people have given up on and would have not have finished school, that have finished school and actually graduated or are on-track to graduate."
Shawna Luppen was missing about 40 percent of her classes at Black Hawk until she signed on with the program more than two years ago. Now she has a nearly perfect attendance record and received an award for being the most-improved student in school at the end of her first year with Youthbuild.
Eighteen-year-old Christina Pedraza said that before she started the program, she didn't even know how to use a tape measure, and now she can do just about anything when it comes to working on a house. In addition to her usual duties, Pedraza is also a crew leader on site. "I have learned a lot and it really makes me feel good to teach other people how to do things," she said.
Pedraza said she also has plans to continue to use the construction skills she has obtained from the program to pursue a career in carpentry or to get a college degree.
"It's not just a short-term, get them in here, keep them in school, and graduate them thing," Vogt said. "It's a get them in here, keep them in school, and help graduate, go to college, learn a trade, or get a job doing something they want to do thing."
HOPE on the Horizon?
The local program was created by several Rock Island organizations in 2002 in association with the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Up to now, it has been funded primarily by a $400,000 grant from HUD it received the year of its inception.
Youthbuild programs nationwide, including in Rock Island, could find themselves strapped for cash soon. President Bush's Fiscal Year 2006 budget proposal calls for $59 million in funding for the Youthbuild program nationally, a 4-percent cut from the $62 million in Fiscal Year 2005.
"The Bush administration has been cutting funding for the Youthbuild program every year, ... and last year they recommended eliminating the program altogether," Vogt said.
Lissette Rodriguez, senior vice president for field development and program excellence for YouthBuild USA, said nothing is final yet, and her organization is working to get YouthBuild's national budget back up to $62 million. She said the ultimate goal would be to get $90 million in funding.
Rodriguez said the fact that the Rock Island program hasn't received any federal funding in two years is not an isolated incident; it's happening all over the country. "The budget cuts are happening all across the board," she said. "A lot of programs like YouthBuild USA and HUD are all experiencing a 4-percent reduction in funding."
Currently, the local Youthbuild has approximately $105,000 - roughly $30,000 from its original grant, and $75,000 it's generated in other ways. That money is expected to finance the program through December, which is why Vogt is looking into alternative sources of money for the program beyond the federal government. Rock Island Youthbuild has an overall annual budget of roughly $450,000.
Vogt said Youthbuild is looking to continue to finance the program in three ways: grants, contributions, and earned income. "We [Youthbuild] have several major grant applications outstanding at this time," Vogt said. "The most significant of these is the HUD-HOPE VI grant."
The HUD-HOPE VI grant could be up to $400,000 spread out over a period of 54 months. If the request for the HOPE VI grant is approved at the maximum amount, the local program would receive a little less than $90,000 a year.
The program also hopes to continue to receive approximately $170,000 of "in-kind" contributions a year, such as the use of classroom facilities, faculty, staff, and equipment from the Rock Island Public Schools and Black Hawk College.
Furthermore, it would like to raise another $50,000 each year in earned income from Youthbuild projects, such as the house the students completed. When the house is sold, any revenue above the actual cost of construction would go back into the Youthbuild program. The house has a current list price of $92,900, and Vogt expects homes to generate $15,000 to $20,000 apiece for the program.
Even if those three sources come through in the maximum amounts, however, Rock Island Youthbuild would still have an annual budget gap of nearly $140,000.
That deficit could mean trouble for Vogt's dream for Youthbuild. He wants to expand the program into Davenport and Bettendorf in the next two or three years.
