Community Renewal Good Stories - Huntington-Ironton

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EZ Funding Supports Employment Training for At-Risk Youth

Huntington, West Virginia/Ironton, Ohio, EZ

Operating out of an old high school renovated through a $650,000 grant from the Huntington/Ironton Empowerment Zone, the Cabell County Youth Empowerment Program in Huntington, West Virginia, is making a big difference in the lives of local school dropouts.

The EZ uses city of Huntington Community Development Block Grant and the Federal Workforce Investment Act to fund the operations of the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP). The program helps school dropouts ages 14 to 21 who are deficient in job skills get into the workforce. The EZ has provided about $60,000 during the 3 years of the program's existence.

The youth program also helps local businesses. YEP subsidizes businesses to hire program participants, thereby providing at-risk youth with the job skills and training they need to prosper. Participating businesses gain the opportunity to train future employees at no cost and have the satisfaction of making a difference in individual lives. In addition, businesses located in the EZ can receive a $2,400 Work Opportunity Tax Credit and an annual $3,000 EZ employment tax credit for each student they hire who resides in the EZ. Program directors worked with the EZ to form mutually beneficial alliances with more than 16 local businesses.

The highly successful program moved in January 2003 into new housing in Huntington's once-abandoned Frederick Douglass High School building, now an office building. The renovated facility, which offers a state-of-the-art computer lab and onsite access to many other types of educational and vocational training, was transformed through a 2001-02, $650,000 EZ grant. One component of YEP, a 6-week woodworking class, recently received statewide recognition for its work. In February 2004 three woodcraft items produced in the class were juried and accepted by Tamarack, a shop that showcases West Virginia handcrafts, culture, fine art, regional cuisine, music, and heritage.

"Congratulations and welcome to Tamarack," announced Ron DeWitt, artisan services coordinator at Tamarack. "You are now the best of the best of West Virginia. We love your coaster set, cutting board, and game board. We have determined that they meet or exceed our standards for craftsmanship, creativity, and quality."

For more information on the programs of the Huntington/Ironton EZ, please contact Executive Director Cathy Burns at (304) 399-5454.