Curt’s Cafe, an Evanston nonprofit organization that works with at-risk youth, is asking the city for a $21,000 grant to help fund its training program.
Evanston’s Economic Development Committee on Wednesday night approved the grant — $3,000 for each of seven students — to Curt’s Cafe, which plans to use the money to help provide each student with housing, food, job training and tutoring throughout a three-month training period. City Council is expected to discuss the grant at its next meeting, Oct. 14, before the restaurant can receive the grant.
Curt’s Cafe, 2922 Central St., opened in Spring 2012 and received a loan from the city last year. Since then, executive director Susan Trieschmann has been working toward the grant.
“I was frustrated because we hadn’t been given any money, and I thought that was kind of silly if we’re working with a population that most people don’t want to work with,” Trieschmann said. “So I suggested to them strongly that I would like to figure out how to fill out the paperwork.”
Although the process has taken over a year, Trieschmann said she believes the city was fair in negotiating the funding. According to the terms agreed upon at the committee meeting, Curt’s Cafe will receive each $3,000 grant as long as the student keeps or continues to search for a job 30 days after completing the cafe’s training program.
Ald. Delores Holmes (5th) said that the 30-day post-training period allows the students to show that they are not just receiving the stipends, turning and moving on. She said she supported the grant as a committee member and believes City Council will do the same.
“I think that Curt’s Cafe has a different approach to employment of those that are hard to employ and just trying to get people in the work force, and this is the Economic Development Committee’s focus, trying to create more jobs in the community,” Holmes said. “I think it’s a good thing.”
Trieschmann said the grant is important for the cafe’s future.
“We train them in life skills and support them with social workers and tutors and things like that, with the goal to get them off the streets, get them to safe housing (and) kind of reboot their life a little bit,” Trieschmann said.
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