Lynn C. Woolsey: “I am absolutely pleased and proud to stand in strong support of this amendment offered by the gentlewoman from New York…”

“I am absolutely pleased and proud to stand in strong support of this amendment offered by the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez) to increase funding for YouthBuild. In fact, if I had my way, we would set a path in this Nation so that every single year we would increase the YouthBuild program by at least 17 percent. While building and remodeling homes for low-income families, YouthBuild-Santa Rosa participants literally rebuild their own lives. YouthBuild participants, who are unemployed young people between the ages of 16 and 24, learn construction skills that start them down a career path to a lifetime of well-paid jobs, jobs they can actually afford to raise a family on. If a participant does not have a high school diploma, it is possible, encouraged and mandated that they complete their education, with strong support from mentors, tutors and learning labs. YouthBuild programs help young people to develop personal and family living skills as they develop their life goals and their life plans. We know they do a good job, because 85 percent of the participants who completed their YouthBuild program went on to either attend college or to take good jobs.”