Illinois YouthBuild Projects Calvin Murphy Allied Radon Services, Inc Patrick Daniels IEMA Radon Program Manager Chair, CRCPD Committee on Radon

About YouthBuild There are at least 2.3 million low-income year-olds in the United States who are not in education, employment, or training. YouthBuild programs in the United States provide pathways for low- income young people learn construction skills through building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people in their neighborhoods and other community assets such as schools, playgrounds, and community centers.

Youth Build History 1978Initial Youth Build project was in Harlem, New York in The project rehabbed an abandoned ten unit tenement building. 1984A citywide coalition of 500 organizations persuaded the New York City Council to replicate the program. It won city tax-levy funds for six non-profits to establish YouthBuild programs in their neighborhoods. 1992Legislation authorizing the federal YouthBuild program passed. Program based in HUD. 2006Program transferred to Department of Labor.

Youth Build History 2014YouthBuild USA has 260 urban and rural programs in 46 states. YouthBuild programs sponsored and managed by local nonprofits, community colleges, and public agencies. YouthBuild programs primary funding source is the US Department of Labor through the Employment and Training Administration.

How YouthBuild Works The YouthBuild program has five components: construction, education, counseling, leadership, and graduate opportunity. Students spend every other week on a job site, learning the construction trade by building homes for their own communities. This creates housing for low-income people, and also gives the students marketable job skills. The alternate weeks are spent on education in the YouthBuild classroom, with the goal of attaining a GED or completing their high school diploma. Wikipedia

United State Department of Labor April 2015, Department of Labor announces YouthBuild grants totaling $76M available to help at-risk youth complete education, develop job and leadership skills.

Illinois YouthBuild Programs YouthBuild Rockford - Rockford YCC YouthBuild Waukegan - Waukegan YouthBuild Lake County – North Chicago YouthBuild Humboldt Park - Chicago Prologue Youthbuild - Chicago Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School- Chicago Windy City YouthBuild - Chicago Youth Connection Leadership Academy- Chicago Chicago Southland YouthBuild - Harvey YouthBuild Quad Cities – Rock Island Peoria YouthBuild - Peoria YouthBuild McLean County - Normal Homework Hangout Youthbuild - Decatur Building Futures YouthBuild - Godfrey Tomorrow's Builders YouthBuild Charter School – East St Louis YouthBuild of Jefferson County – Mount Vernon Delta Center YouthBuild - Cairo

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced on April 15, 2014, $3,398,444 in capital funding to provide residential weatherization services to eligible homeowners across the state as part of the Urban Weatherization Initiative (UWI). UWI is the nation’s first state- funded weatherization program and one of the largest job creation initiatives to date for urban communities in Illinois.

Comprehensive Community Solutions (CCS) receives $1,000,000 Grant to provide Residential Weatherization Services to residents in the Rockford area. The funds will allow approximately 65 homes per year for two years to receive needed energy efficiency upgrades.

Weatherization and Radon The American Lung Association has partnered with YouthBuild Rockford to provide radon measurement and where needed mitigation as part of a State Indoor Radon Grant project with the USEPA and IEMA. IEMA made available $65,000 for radon measurement and mitigation activities.

Youth Build Pilot Project April and May 2015 Mt Vernon, IL

Mt Vernon Youth Build Program

Project Partners United Methodist Children’s Home – Ryan Alton US EPA – Susie Shimek IEMA – Patrick Daniels, Melinda Lewis Florida Radon Program – Clark Eldredge Allied Radon Services, Inc – Calvin Murphy

Project Objective Determine if Youth Build program is a means to train youth as potential radon mitigation technicians.

The Program The American Lung Association mitigation course will be the source of classroom material taught to the students. We will alternate between classroom lecture and a house being rehabbed in Mt Vernon.

The Program After completion of classroom and field training including diagnostics and system installation, students will take state licensing exam. House has been gutted and day light is visible in parts of the house. Cannot maintain closed house conditions to get an accurate radon measurement prior to installation of an active system. After rehab is completed, will perform measurements with system running and then turn system off, cap the stack and retest.

Project Time Frame Anticipate class of 4 to 8 students. Beginning April 28 and plan to complete by end of May.

Estimate house was built in 1950’s. Basement with small crawl. Will perform diagnostics to determine anticipated number of suction points. Will leave communication test holes open until system installed to determine that communication exists under slab. House basically has what would be encountered in mitigation system installation except for sump pump. About the Home

Ultimate Goal If program is successful and students pass the Illinois Licensing exam, hope to expand the program to other Youth Build programs and train students to work as mitigation technicians either in Illinois or in other states. If it is determined that the students cannot pass the licensure exam, could the program be modified to provide the radon industry with a supply of mitigation laborers?

Questions?