HUD's Youthbuild Program to provide construction job training

|tab|

Thousands of young people who have not completed high school or who are at risk of dropping out will get a second chance to graduate while beginning a possible career in the construction trades.|ret||ret||tab|

In December, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced grants of nearly $54 million for HUD's Youthbuild Program. The grants will provide job training, leadership skills and academic schooling to an estimated 3,300 low-income young people. These grants will also help build and rehabilitate more than 1,700 affordable housing units for lower income families.|ret||ret||tab|

"Youthbuild grants help young people get back on the right track by not only providing them the education they need but the training they can use for careers in homebuilding," said HUD Acting Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "It's a wonderful feeling to know these young people discover the satisfaction of a job well done and local communities get more affordable housing in the process." |ret||ret||tab|

The young people who will participate in Youthbuild programs often deal with difficulty finding good jobs because they don't have the necessary job skills or high school diplomas.|ret||ret||tab|

The grants announced will help eligible individuals young people between the ages of 16 and 24 to receive high-school equivalency diplomas and provide training in home building skills that will qualify them for careers in the building industry. |ret||ret||tab|

The Youthbuild Program provides on-the-jobtraining opportunities by putting participants to work building and renovating single-family homes and multifamily apartments. |ret||ret||tab|

The homes are then sold at affordable prices to low- and very low-income persons as well as homeless individuals and families. In addition, these grants are anticipated to generate millions of additional dollars from other public and private sources. Youthbuild grants totaling $437 million have been awarded since 1993.|ret||ret||tab|

More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and www.espanol.hud.gov.|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]