Summer gigs

Applications for the Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) summer jobs program are now open. Applications close May 1. For over 40 years, YOU, a nonprofit, has served teens and young adults living in under-resourced areas in Northeast Ohio. 

The summer jobs program is open to teens (14 to 19 years old) who live in Cuyahoga County and are enrolled in high school. The jobs typically last for six weeks, with teens working up to 25 hours per week at $13.50 per hour, according to Craig Dorn, YOU’s president and CEO. On average, teens earned $1,629 in 2023, he said.

Teens can submit the application online. It is available in English and Spanish.

Income requirements

The program, largely funded by Cuyahoga County’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, has several eligibility requirements – including requiring parents or guardians to attend meetings and provide detailed financial information. 

One requirement is that household incomes cannot exceed 200% of federal poverty thresholds. In 2024, that means a two-person household making more than $40,880 annually would be ineligible. 

Critical documents are also required. During the meeting, some council members raised concerns about barriers that teens and their families may face in getting copies of birth certificates and photo IDs. Committee Vice Chair Stephanie Howse-Jones said council members are working diligently to address the issue.

Funding concerns

In 2023, more than 3,700 Cleveland teens applied for the program but only 1,281 were hired, according to a presentation. A little more than 1,800 total participated across Cuyahoga County. The main reasons why some teens weren’t hired were lack of funding, they found other jobs, or the organization lost contact with the applicant, Dorn said.

This year’s program is expected to have “roughly” the same $7 million budget as 2023, said Eric Dillenbeck, director of Work Experience with YOU.

Howse-Jones asked about the city’s and YOU’s push for money from the corporate sector to help fund the program.

In total, JP Morgan Chase and KeyBank have committed to $500,000 over the next two to three years for the program, according to Dorn, who said the experience of seeking corporate funding has been “mixed.”

Pending legislation could award roughly $1 million to YOU from the General Fund, though Cleveland City Council still needs to approve it.

Read the notes from Documenter Barbara Phipps:

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