Youth Eligibility Requirements
Eligible youth are defined as:
- Age 14 through 21, inclusive AND
- Low income AND
- Meets one or more of the following categories
- Deficient in basic literacy skills (below 8.9)
- School dropout
- Homeless, runaway or foster child
- Pregnant or parenting
- Offender
- Requires additional assistance to complete an education program or to secure or retain employment (includes youth with disabilities)
Face Barrier to Employment (Five percent youth not low-income)
Local Area I will comply with Federal Regulation, Section 664.220 which allows for five percent (5%) of youth to be served that do not meet the income criterion. These youth must fall within one or more of the following categories.
- School dropout
- Basic skills deficient
- One or more grade levels below the grade level appropriate for the individual’s age
- Pregnant or parenting
- Possess one or more disabilities (including learning disabilities)
- Runaway
- Offender
- Attending alternative school (identified by Local Area I LWIB)
- Receiving treatment for drug or alcohol dependency (identified by Local Area I LWIB)
Sixth Youth Eligibility Criterion Definition
Local Area I defines an individual who requires additional assistance to complete an educational program as a youth who meets one or more of the following criteria:
- Previously dropped out of an educational program
- Has poor attendance patterns in an educational program during the last twelve (12) calendar months
- Has below average grades
Local Area I defines an individual who requires additional assistance to secure and hold employment as a youth who meets one or more of the following criteria:
- Has no vocational/educational goal
- Has a poor work history (including no work history)
- Has been fired from a job in the last six (6) months
Special Youth Requirement
The Local Area I LWIB recently, through the guidance of the Youth Council, chose to allocate Forty percent (40%) of all youth funds to serve out-of-school youth. Out-of-school youth are defined as either 1) a school dropout or 2) a youth who has receive a high school diploma or GED, but is basic deficient, unemployed or underemployed.
