1. Milwaukee’s Community Development Block Grant: Connecting Youth Services and Economic Development
Nina Carlson
Julie Fitzgerald
Kevin Murphy
Bethany Shore
Prepared for the City of Milwaukee,
Budget and Management Division, Department of Administration

2. Introduction Framing the issue: Problems facing Milwaukee youth
CDGA allocates almost $2 million each year in federal CDBG funding to Youth Services

3. Purpose Research Tasks: Methods
Determine the effectiveness of Youth Services grants
Explore the possibility of better linking Youth Services programming to economic development
Methods

4. Table 1: Carnegie Youth Characteristics and Corresponding CDGA Program Categories
Carnegie Council Youth Characteristics
Corresponding Program Category
Intellectually reflective
Education
Healthy/Caring and ethical individual
Crime prevention/personal development
Good citizen
Civic Engagement
En route to meaningful work
Economic Development
Healthy
Recreation

5. CDGA-sponsored youth programming by category
Program Category
# of Programs
Crime Prevention/Personal Development 20
Civic Engagement 8
Recreation 7
Education 4
Economic Development

7. Research Question 1 Overview
Are CDGA Youth Services grants effective?
Literature review on the general effectiveness of youth programming
Analysis of CDGA performance files

8. Do Youth Programs Benefit Young People and Their Community?
According to academic research, they do.
Examples:
Education  Boost GPAs and school attendance
Rec & Crime Prevention  Lower anti-social behaviors
Civic Engagement  Improve concern for others’ welfare; improve work ethic
The Benefits Last

9. CDGA’s Reporting & Monitoring System
The beginnings of a successful performance measurement system
Outcome identification
Outcome tracking

10. Best Practices in Performance Measurement: How do grantees perform?
Outcome measurement
Struggle to distinguish between outputs and outcomes
Data sources
Some fail to use an adequate data source to measure outcomes
Signs of success

11. Reporting and Monitoring Systems Recommendations
Mandatory Grantee Training Session
Strengthen Grantee Reporting Requirements
Implement a More Interactive Monitoring System

12. Research Question 2 Overview
How can Milwaukee link Youth Services programming to economic development?
HUD definition of economic development
Creating and maintaining jobs

13. Evaluation of Programming for Youth
Type of Programming
Outcomes
Early Intervention
-Higher rates of return
-Improves capacity for future learning
School Age
-Increases attendance and graduation rates
-Lowers incidence of risky behavior
Preparation for Post-Secondary Education
-Develops personal qualities necessary for post-secondary success
Economic and Workforce Development
-Develops soft and job-specific skills
-Positive short-term effects
-Limited long-term employment and wage effects

14. Policy Options Focus on Job Training Focus on Post-Secondary Education
Status Quo

15. Research Question 2 Recommendations
Take a broader perspective on economic development
Expanded definition of economic development
Services that encourage post-secondary opportunities for youth, teach marketable job skills, provide workforce or higher education training for young adults, or encourage productive citizenship
Maintain current mix of programming

16. Conclusion