Illinois YouthBuild Projects
Patrick Daniels
IEMA Radon Program Manager
Chair, CRCPD Committee on Radon
Calvin Murphy
Allied Radon Services, Inc
About YouthBuild
• There are at least 2.3 million low-income 16-24 year-olds in the
United States who are not in education, employment, or training.
• YouthBuild programs in the United States provide pathways for lowincome 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
1978
Initial Youth Build project was in Harlem, New York in 1978. The project
rehabbed an abandoned ten unit tenement building.
1984
A 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.
1992
Legislation authorizing the federal YouthBuild program passed. Program
based in HUD.
2006
Program transferred to Department of Labor.
Youth Build History
2014 YouthBuild 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 statefunded 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.
About the Home
• 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.
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?