Hungry for some ice cream? If a local nonprofit get its way, you’ll be able to feed your craving and support underprivileged youths at the same time.
The Youth Job Center of Evanston has given Evanston the chance to be a part of a creative solution to the cycle of joblessness. The center’s directors have worked with Ben & Jerry’s to create a PartnerShop — a Ben & Jerry’s store where the Job Center could train its clients. It plans to open the store at 1634 Orrington Ave. by Valentine’s Day.
Ben & Jerry’s is ready to provide its part of the bargain by waiving the franchise fee. So now Evanston can chip in. Organizers, who have created a separate nonprofit from the Job Center to run the store, requested start-up funds of $185,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds. Due to miscommunication, they only received $23,000.
The Ben & Jerry’s organizers have sent a letter to the city and requested that it re-evaluate its CDBG application — something the city really should do. Unlike most programs that come to the city year after year asking for money, this program will break even by its third year, according to conservative estimates. If the program receives the full funding, it will not have to request any more money from the city.
The city has recognized the need for training; it funded the Summer Youth Employment program. But this was on the cutting block during last year’s budget process. Although it was spared then, it likely will reappear. Furthermore, the city has to invest about $230,000 per year into the program. Unlike the Ben & Jerry’s, it never will be self-sufficient.
The Job Center knows what it’s doing. The nonprofit’s mission is to help Evanston residents, especially underprivileged youths, receive the training they need to obtain gainful employment. But now some aldermen are balking at the price tag, which averages out to about $6,000 for each person helped.
At last week’s Economic Development Committee meeting, Ald. Gene Feldman (9th) said the city should scrutinize the program.
“I am worried about giving this amout of money,” Feldman said. “Six thousand dollars per person, will that make a definite difference in someone’s life?”
A deeper look at the program would show that it is indeed worth the investment. The program would train youths in the Ben & Jerry’s and help them build the job skills they need to find sustainable work.
Granted, $6,000 per person sounds like a lot of money. But what does that really mean in comparison? One form of training, high school, is costing taxpayers quite a bit more. The average annual cost of educating a student at Evanston Township High School is $16,284. According to the Illinois State Report Card, less than 40 percent of black, Hispanic and low-income students are meeting state standards.
What if high school is not enough? When this happens there is one place where many of them go — prison. As of Aug. 31, the state prisons held nearly 43,000 adults and more than 1,500 juveniles, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. The cost of this program? About $20,000 for adults and $50,000 for juveniles as of 2001.
But along came the Youth Job Center with an original idea for ending this vicious cycle and giving local youth something constructive and fullfilling to do. In many ways its plan will work better than what the city otherwise would do on its own.
Is this program going to put a halt to incarcerating young people? Probably not. But it would place 25 to 30 people in jobs and provide something many residents could appreciate.
It is doing exactly what the city wants, and the city should do its best to support it.
City Editor Matt Lopas is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
