Tuesday, June 13, 2000
County windfall boosts agency
Welfare reform money to fund job programs
By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Citizens' Committee on Youth (CCY) has been working with poor and troubled kids in Cincinnati for more than 40 years.
Now, thanks to a $5.4 million contract with Hamilton County's Department of Human Services, CCY will reach more kids than ever.
And some adults too.
The contract represents the most money CCY has ever received from one entity.
It was made possible because of a $25 million one-time windfall Hamilton County received from the state as part of welfare reform.
CCY will use its money to pay for two programs:
ã“We Are The Future” is a program for adults ages 18 to 25 that provides six months of paid classroom training in skills such as plumbing, carpentry, masonry or general contracting. That program will receive $1.75 million and hopes to expand by 100 students — costing $17,750 per student.
ãThe other $3.65 million will be used to expand the current CCY programs by taking in people who would not normally make too much money to enroll.
Pat O'Connor, a contract supervisor for the county's Department of Human Services (DHS), said she expects an additional 900 people to get help with the program.
The idea is to train people who already have jobs but have had a hard time advancing up the corporate ladder. This training, Ms. O'Connor said, will help keep them off welfare.
“Welfare reform has allowed us to provide more services and more effective services than we provided at any other time in the agency's history,” DHS spokeswoman Mindy Good said.
CCY President Clarence Williams said the $3.5 million will allow his organization to expand in several different directions.
“This will be a lifeline for even more young people in our community who felt they had no future,” Mr. Williams said. “It will set them on the road to education, employment and productive lives.”
CCY is one of about 100 agencies countywide that have contracted with the county to provide or increase services as a result of the welfare reform windfall.
After getting its start 42 years ago as an intervention program for young offenders entering the juvenile justice system, CCY got into trouble in 1997.
That's the year the Cincinnati Enquirer found several board members had conducted business with CCY.
An internal audit confirmed problems with operations at CCY, and ordered a ban on commercial business between the organization and its board members.
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