Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Senator JOSEPH P. CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes grant program for NJ YouthBuild programs through DOLWD; makes appropriation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act creating YouthBuild programs, supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as The New Jersey YouthBuild Act.
2. The purpose of the The New Jersey YouthBuild Act shall be to:
a. Enable economically disadvantaged youth, especially youth who have not finished high school, to obtain the education, job skills training, personal counseling, leadership development skills training, job placement assistance, and long-term follow-up leading to economic self-sufficiency;
b. Provide communities the opportunity to establish or rebuild neighborhood stability in economically depressed and low-income areas, as well as historic areas requiring restoration or preservation, while providing economically disadvantaged youth and youth who have not finished high school an opportunity for meaningful participation in society;
c. Allow communities to maintain and expand the supply of affordable housing for homeless and other low-income individuals by utilizing the energies and talents of economically disadvantaged youth and young people who have not graduated from high school; and
d. Foster the development of leadership skills and a commitment to community development among youth.
3. As used in this act:
"Applicant" means a public or private not-for-profit agency eligible to provide education and employment training under federal or State employment training programs.
Commissioner means the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Department means the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Eligible entity means a public or private nonprofit agency or organization, including a consortium of public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations, including but not limited to:
(1) a community-based organization;
(2) a faith-based organization;
(3) an entity carrying out activities under this act, such as a local board;
(4) a community action agency;
(5) a State or local housing development agency;
(6) an Indian tribe or other agency primarily serving Indians;
(7) a community development corporation;
(8) a State or local youth service or conservation corps; and
(9) any other entity eligible to provide education or employment training under a federal program (other than the program carried out under this section).
"YouthBuild" means the program established by this act that provides disadvantaged youth with opportunities for comprehensive education, employment, leadership development, and training in the construction or rehabilitation of housing for special needs populations, very low-income households and low-income households.
4. a. The commissioner shall, subject to appropriation, make grants to applicants for the purpose of carrying out Youthbuild programs as approved under this section. All programs funded pursuant to the provisions of this section shall reflect strong youth and community involvement. In addition, funding provided under this section shall be used by each Youthbuild program to provide, at a minimum, the following services:
(1) integrated education and job skills training services and activities which are evenly divided within the program, with 50 percent of students time spent in classroom-based instruction, counseling, and leadership development instruction and 50 percent of their time spent in service learning experiences at construction sites. The programs shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
(a) an education component which includes basic skills instruction, secondary education services, and other activities designed to lead to the attainment of a high school diploma or its equivalent. The curriculum for this component shall include math, language arts, vocational education, life skills training, social studies related to the cultural and community history of the students, leadership skills, and other topics at the discretion of the programs;
(b) a vocational learning experience and skills training component apprenticeship program that includes the construction and rehabilitation activities described in paragraph (4) of this subsection. The process of construction shall be tied with skills training and with close on-site supervision by experienced trainers. The curriculum for this component shall contain a set of locally agreed upon skills and competencies that are systematically taught, with a student's mastery assessed individually on a regular, ongoing basis. Safety skills shall be taught at the outset. The vocational learning experience and skills training component shall be coordinated to the maximum extent feasible with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. In order to receive grant funding, programs shall offer vocational learning experiences that conclude with the administration of assessments to obtain an industry-valued credential, per the list provided by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and
(c) assistance in attaining post-secondary education and required financial aid to be made available to participants prior to graduation;
(2) counseling services designed to assist participants to positively participate in society, which should include all of the following if necessary: outreach, assessment, and orientation; individual and peer counseling; life skills training, drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention; and referral to appropriate drug rehabilitation, medical, mental health, legal, housing, and other services and resources in the community;
(3) leadership development training that provides participants with meaningful opportunities to develop leadership skills such as decision making, problem solving, and negotiating. The program shall also encourage participants to develop strong peer group ties that support their mutual pursuit of skills and values. All programs shall establish a youth council in which participants are afforded opportunities to develop public speaking and negotiating skills, and management and policy-making participation in specific aspects of the program; and
(4) assistance with the acquisition, rehabilitation, acquisition and rehabilitation, or construction of housing and related facilities which will serve as the vocational training sites and then to be used for the purpose of providing home ownership for disadvantaged persons, residential housing for homeless individuals, and low-income and very low-income families, or transitional housing for persons who are homeless, have disabilities, are ill, are de-institutionalized, or have special needs and rehabilitation or construction of community facilities owned by not-for-profit or public agencies.
b. A YouthBuild program shall provide a stipend to participants to cover the costs associated with their full time participation