(20 ILCS 1315/15)

Sec. 15. Program requirements. The Secretary 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:

(a) Acquisition, rehabilitation, acquisition and rehabilitation, or construction of housing and related facilities 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 deinstitutionalized, or have special needs, and rehabilitation or construction of community facilities owned by not-for-profit or public agencies.

(b) Integrated education and job skills training services and activities which are evenly divided within the program, with 50% of students' time spent in classroom-based instruction, counseling, and leadership development instruction and 50% of their time spent in experiential training on the construction site. The programs shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:

(1) 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. Bilingual services shall be available for individuals with limited-English proficiency. The desired minimum teacher to student ratio shall be one teacher for every 18 students.

(2) A work experience and skills training component program that includes the construction and rehabilitation activities described in subsection (a). The process of construction must be coupled 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 desired trainer to student ratio shall be one trainer for every 7 students. The work experience and skills training component shall be coordinated to the maximum extent feasible with preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.

(3) Assistance in attaining post secondary education and required financial aid shall be made available to participants prior to graduation.

(c) 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. The desired counselor to participant ratio shall be one counselor for every 28 students.

(d) Leadership development training that provides participants with meaningful opportunities to develop leadership skills such as decision making, problem solving, and negotiating. The program must also encourage participants to develop strong peer group ties that support their mutual pursuit of skills and values.

All programs must 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.

(e) Stipends and wages. A training subsidy, living allowance, or stipend that will be no less than minimum wage must be provided to program participants for the time spent at the worksite in construction training. For those participants who receive public assistance, this training subsidy, living allowance, or stipend will not affect their housing benefits, medical benefits, child care benefits or food stamp benefits. Stipends and wages may be distributed in a manner that offers incentives for good performance.

(f) Full time participation in a Youthbuild program shall be offered for a period of not less than 6 months and not more than 24 months.

(g) A concentrated effort shall be made to find construction, construction-related, and nonconstruction jobs for all graduates of the program who have performed well. The skills training curriculum shall provide participants with basic preparation for seeking and maintaining a job. Follow-up counseling and assistance in job-seeking shall also be provided to participants for at least 12 months following graduation from the program.

(h) All programs serving 28 trainees or more are required to have a full-time director responsible for the coordination of all aspects of the Youthbuild program.

(Source: P.A. 95-524, eff. 8-28-07.)