HB0202 Enrolled LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Youthbuild Act is amended by
5 changing Sections 15, 25, 30, 35, and 40 and by adding Section
6 45 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 1315/15)
8     Sec. 15. Program requirements. The Secretary shall,
9 subject to appropriation, is authorized to make grants to
10 applicants for the purpose of carrying out Youthbuild programs
11 as approved under this Section. All programs funded pursuant to
12 the provisions of this Section shall reflect strong youth and
13 community involvement. In addition, funding provided under
14 this Section shall be used by each Youthbuild program to
15 provide, at a minimum, the following services:
16     (a) Acquisition, rehabilitation, acquisition and
17 rehabilitation, or construction of housing and related
18 facilities to be used for the purpose of providing home
19 ownership for disadvantaged persons, residential housing for
20 homeless individuals, and low-income and very low-income
21 families, or transitional housing for persons who are homeless,
22 have disabilities, are ill, are deinstitutionalized, or have
23 special needs, and rehabilitation or construction of community

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 2 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1 facilities owned by not-for-profit or public agencies.
2     (b) Integrated education and job skills training services
3 and activities which are evenly divided within the program,
4 with 50% of students' time spent in classroom-based
5 instruction, counseling, and leadership development
6 instruction and 50% of their time spent in experiential
7 training on the construction site. The programs shall include,
8 at a minimum, the following elements:
9         (1) An education component which includes basic skills
10     instruction, secondary education services, and other
11     activities designed to lead to the attainment of a high
12     school diploma or its equivalent. The curriculum for this
13     component shall include math, language arts, vocational
14     education, life skills training, social studies related to
15     the cultural and community history of the students,
16     leadership skills, and other topics at the discretion of
17     the programs. Bilingual services shall be available for
18     individuals with limited-English proficiency. The desired
19     minimum teacher to student ratio shall be one teacher for
20     every 18 students.
21         (2) A work experience and skills training component
22     apprenticeship program that includes the construction and
23     rehabilitation activities described in subsection (a). The
24     process of construction must be coupled with skills
25     training and with close on-site supervision by experienced
26     trainers. The curriculum for this component shall contain a

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 3 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1     set of locally agreed upon skills and competencies that are
2     systematically taught, with a student's mastery assessed
3     individually on a regular, ongoing basis. Safety skills
4     shall be taught at the outset. The desired trainer to
5     student ratio shall be one trainer for every 7 students.
6     The work experience and skills training component shall be
7     coordinated to the maximum extent feasible with
8     preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
9         (3) Assistance in attaining post secondary education
10     and required financial aid shall be made available to
11     participants prior to graduation.
12     (c) Counseling services designed to assist participants to
13 positively participate in society, which should include all of
14 the following if necessary: outreach, assessment, and
15 orientation; individual and peer counseling; life skills
16 training, drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention; and
17 referral to appropriate drug rehabilitation, medical, mental
18 health, legal, housing, and other services and resources in the
19 community. The desired counselor to participant ratio shall be
20 one counselor for every 28 students.
21     (d) Leadership development training that provides
22 participants with meaningful opportunities to develop
23 leadership skills such as decision making, problem solving, and
24 negotiating. The program must also encourage participants to
25 develop strong peer group ties that support their mutual
26 pursuit of skills and values.

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 4 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1     All programs must establish a youth council in which
2 participants are afforded opportunities to develop public
3 speaking and negotiating skills, and management and policy
4 making participation in specific aspects of the program.
5     (e) Stipends and wages. A training subsidy, living
6 allowance, or stipend that will be no less than minimum wage
7 must be provided to program participants for the time spent at
8 the worksite in construction training. For those participants
9 who receive public assistance, this training subsidy, living
10 allowance, or stipend will not affect their housing benefits,
11 medical benefits, child care benefits or food stamp benefits.
12 Stipends and wages may be distributed in a manner that offers
13 incentives for good performance.
14     (f) Full time participation in a Youthbuild program shall
15 be offered for a period of not less than 6 months and not more
16 than 24 months.
17     (g) A concentrated effort shall be made to find
18 construction, construction-related, and nonconstruction jobs
19 for all graduates of the program who have performed well. The
20 skills training curriculum shall provide participants with
21 basic preparation for seeking and maintaining a job. Follow-up
22 counseling and assistance in job-seeking shall also be provided
23 to participants for at least the 12 months following graduation
24 from the program.
25     (h) All programs serving 28 trainees or more are required
26 to have a full-time director responsible for the coordination

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 5 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1 of all aspects of the Youthbuild program.
2 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
3     (20 ILCS 1315/25)
4     Sec. 25. Eligible participants. Eligible participants are
5 youth 16 to 24 years old who are economically disadvantaged as
6 defined in United States Code, Title 29, Section 1503, and who
7 are part of one of the following groups:
8     (a) Persons who are not attending any school and have not
9 received a secondary school diploma or its equivalent.
10     (b) Persons currently enrolled in a traditional or
11 alternative school setting or a GED program and who are in
12 danger of dropping out of school.
13     (c) A member of a low-income family, a youth in foster care
14 (including a youth aging-out of foster care), a youth offender,
15 a youth with a disability, a child of incarcerated parents, or
16 a migrant youth Very low-income persons.
17     Not more than Up to 25% of the participants in the program
18 may be individuals who do not meet the requirements of
19 subsections (a) or , (b), and (c), but who are deficient in
20 basic skills despite having attained a secondary school
21 diploma, General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or
22 other State-recognized equivalent, or who have been referred by
23 a local secondary school for participation in a Youthbuild
24 program leading to the attainment of a secondary school diploma
25 have educational needs despite the attainment of a high school

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 6 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1 diploma.
2 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
3     (20 ILCS 1315/30)
4     Sec. 30. Selection criteria. Priority in the awarding of
5 funds under this Act shall be given to applicants with
6 experience in operating Youthbuild programs. Organizations
7 claiming to have operated Youthbuild programs must be licensed
8 by Youthbuild USA or be organizations that have received
9 federal HUD Youthbuild funding.
10 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
11     (20 ILCS 1315/35)
12     Sec. 35. Eligible entities. Those eligible to be awarded
13 funds under this Act are not-for-profit private agencies, or
14 public agencies with experience operating a Youthbuild program
15 or with a plan to incubate a Youthbuild program until it can be
16 established as a program applicant not-for-profit private
17 agency.
18 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
19     (20 ILCS 1315/40)
20     Sec. 40. Application requirements. The Secretary shall
21 require that an application for Youthbuild funds under this Act
22 contain at a minimum:
23     (1) a request for an implementation grant, specifying the

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 7 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1 amount of the grant requested and its proposed uses;
2     (2) a description of the applicant and a statement of its
3 qualifications, including a description of the applicant's
4 past experience running a Youthbuild program, and with housing
5 rehabilitation or construction and with youth and youth
6 education, youth leadership development and employment
7 training programs, and its relationship with local unions and
8 youth apprenticeship programs, and other community groups;
9     (3) a description of the proposed construction site for the
10 program and evidence of site control;
11     (4) a description of the educational and job training
12 activities, work opportunities, and other services that will be
13 provided to participants;
14     (5) a description of the proposed construction or
15 rehabilitation activities to be undertaken and the anticipated
16 schedule for carrying out such activities;
17     (6) a description of the manner in which eligible youths
18 will be recruited and selected, including a description of the
19 arrangements which will be made with community-based
20 organizations, local educational agencies, including agencies
21 of Native American nations, public assistance agencies, the
22 courts of jurisdiction for status and youth offenders, shelters
23 for homeless individuals and other agencies that serve homeless
24 youth, foster care agencies, and other appropriate public and
25 private agencies;
26     (7) a description of the special efforts that will be

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 8 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1 undertaken to recruit eligible young women (including young
2 women with dependent children) with appropriate supports,
3 especially childcare;
4     (8) a description of how the proposed program will be
5 coordinated with other federal, State, and local activities and
6 activities conducted by Native American nations, including
7 public schools, national service, crime prevention programs,
8 vocational, adult, and bilingual education programs, and job
9 training;
10     (9) assurances that there will be a sufficient number of
11 adequately trained supervisory personnel in the program who
12 have attained the level of journeyman or its equivalent;
13     (10) a description of the applicant's relationship with any
14 local building trade unions which may exist, regarding their
15 involvement in training, and the relationship of the Youthbuild
16 program with registered established apprenticeship programs;
17     (11) a description of activities that will be undertaken to
18 develop the leadership skills of participants, including their
19 role in decision making;
20     (12) a detailed budget and a description of the system of
21 fiscal controls and auditing and accountability procedures
22 that will be used to ensure fiscal soundness;
23     (13) a description of any contracts and arrangements
24 entered into between the applicant and other agencies and
25 entities including all in-kind donations and grants from both
26 public and private entities that will serve to augment Illinois

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 9 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1 Youthbuild Act funds;
2     (14) identification and description of the financing
3 proposed for any:
4         (A) acquisition of the property;
5         (B) rehabilitation; or
6         (C) construction;
7     (15) identification and description of the entity that will
8 operate and manage the property;
9     (16) a certification that the applicant will comply with
10 the requirements of the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil
11 Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
12 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and will
13 affirmatively further fair housing; and
14     (17) the qualifications and past experience of the person
15 who will fill the full-time program director position.
16 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
17     (20 ILCS 1315/45 new)
18     Sec. 45. Annual report. The Department of Human Services
19 shall prepare an annual report summarizing costs and outcome
20 data associated with the Youthbuild programs. The report must
21 include, but not be limited to, the following information: (i)
22 the number of participants in the program, (ii) the average
23 cost per participant, (iii) the number of participants who
24 achieve a high school diploma or its equivalent, and (iv) the
25 number of projects completed by Youthbuild participants during

 

 

HB0202 Enrolled - 10 - LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1 that year. The Department must submit the report to the General
2 Assembly by July 1, 2008 and by July 1 of each year thereafter.
 
3     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4 becoming law.