The undersigned organizations and individuals urge Congress to ensure that Opportunity Youth (those ages 16-24 who are not employed or in school), youth of color, youth experiencing poverty, and the programs that serve them have the funding and tools to handle this once-in-a-lifetime crisis.

We applaud Congress on the immediate passage of the bipartisan CARES Act. However, the emergency provisions and funding were not enough to ensure that young people — especially those experiencing poverty and Opportunity Youth — are not disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.

The COVID pandemic may be a rare event, but its consequences are all too familiar: People of color, young workers, and those with disabilities are disproportionately experiencing economic instability. For example, 9.2 million workers aged 16 to 24 were employed in the service sector before the pandemic. Youth and young adults account for nearly half of all workers paid the federal minimum wage or less. Many of these young people are supporting families. At the same time, they are less likely to have access to health insurance, paid sick leave, or savings to endure a recession.

Congress’ response to COVID-19 must address the immediate needs of young people as well as longer-term needs to stabilize families, neighborhoods and communities. In doing so, we must involve young people in designing the solutions; center race and gender equity; and prepare the nation’s next generation of leaders.

Even before the pandemic, 4.5 million young people ages 16 to 24 were disconnected from school and the workforce. Youth disconnection impacts cities, suburbs, and rural and tribal communities, but Native American and Black young adults have the highest rates of youth disconnection. Research shows that every dollar invested in programs to reconnect young people yields $5 in government savings and increased tax revenues. But the real impact of supporting young people is far greater: youth make up a significant portion of our “essential workforce” charged with maintaining food, sanitation, and material supply chains. Their work is critical to navigate us through and beyond this pandemic.

On May 1, Representative Bobby Scott, Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act (RAWA), an important first step that addresses many of our recommendations below. Other Congressional leaders must now step up to build on RAWA to ensure that young workers and Opportunity Youth benefit from the economic stimulus.

Specifically, in the next legislative package, we call on Congress to:

• Scale up and strengthen existing programs to address the immediate economic needs of youth and young adults and provide the following investments (at minimum):
  • Pass and fully fund the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act.
  • Provide $500 million for Corporation for National and Community Service.
  • Invest in an additional $5.5 billion for the Opening Doors for Youth Act to fund summer and year-round youth employment and community transformation grants.

• Establish new COVID-specific interventions tailored to Opportunity Youth, youth of color and young people with low-incomes:
  • $44 billion to create a National Transitional Jobs Program to enable more people, including young adults, to enter the workforce as industry transitions out of the pandemic.
  • $10 billion for Postsecondary Bridging for All to boost college readiness, providing funding to community leads to strengthen postsecondary pathways.

• Direct Funds to Meet Urgent Mental Health needs of young people navigating the crisis:
  • $1 billion for mental health supports jointly administered through the Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services, to infuse trauma-informed, healing-centered approaches into youth programs.
• Ensure Opportunity Youth receive direct stimulus payments through the use of navigators and increased interagency collaboration;

• Ensure Unemployment Insurance benefits are available to new workers, seeking to enter the workforce in a declining economy;
• Expand SNAP benefits to displaced college students;
• Include strong equity provisions including prioritizing services to communities with historic barriers to employment (opportunity youth, people of color, immigrants and individuals impacted by the justice system); requiring service delivery models that incorporate cultural and linguistic competency, delivered through community-based organizations; and using metrics that prioritize long-term labor-market outcomes and job quality.

In the longer term, we will need innovative ways to get our communities and economy back on track. We must not overlook young people and their potential to lead us into the future. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted urgent needs and deep inequities. We call on you to ensure that funding and policies enacted now will support young workers with low incomes and Opportunity Youth.

Sincerely,

Organizations

National Network for Youth 

The Corps Network

Center for Latino Progress – CPRF

California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc.

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)

Our Piece of the Pie, Inc.

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

Story For All

We All Rise 

California Opportunity Youth Network

JVS

First Focus Campaign for Children

SLATE

Forge City Works

Heartland Alliance

Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates

National Indian Education Association

The BOOM

National Coalition for the Homeless

Bread for the World

Advocates for Children and Youth

Equality North Carolina

Pubic Advocacy for Kids (PAK)

Youth Villages

Momentum Advisory Collective

Think of Us

Child Welfare League of America

First Focus Campaign for Children

YouthBuild USA

Human Resources Agency

RESULTS

KABOOM!

First Focus Campaign for Children

The Moriah Group

Michigan’s Children

Swipe Out Hunger

Living On Purpose ATL

Youth Transitions Task Force

Juvenile Justice Coalition

Georgia Shift

Ability Connection Colorado

AACA

Worcester Community Action Council

Children’s Advocacy Institute

Generation New England

National Council of Churches

NAACP

Emerging Workforce Initiative

STRIVE CT

Our Piece of the Pie – OPP

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

Foster Care Alumni of America

JVS Boston

Grind Smart Foundation

Young Invincibles

National Compadres Network

College Bound Dorchester

Apprentice Learning

National Partnership for Women & Families

Muslim Caucus Education Collective

National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

National Association of Counsel for Children

Future Chefs

Urban League of Greater Hartford

Public Allies

JobsFirstNYC

California Family Life Center

City of Albany Department of Youth & Workforce Services

Opportunity Youth United

YouthBuild Boston

Famcios Foundation

Reaching At-Promise Students Association

Open Buffalo

Community Matters

Soar

ASU Opportunities for Youth

ACYR

Opportunities for Youth

Grad Solutions LLC

Pro-Serv Commercial Cleaning Inc.

Global Business Coalition for Education

Allied Tool & Die Co., LLC

one n ten

Think Make Live Youth

JFCS-Real World Program

Ombudsman Charter Schools

Bay Area Community Resources

Next Generation Zone

Ones Up

Phipps Neighborhoods

Remember Us Urban Scouts

Urban Underground

The Center for Teen Empowerment

MZ Strategies, LLC

HIGHTS Workforce Development

Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps

Coalition for Responsible Community Development

Trellis

MDC

Child Welfare League of America

WELL ( Wade Edwards Learning Lab)

MyPath

Voces Unidas for Justice

First Focus Campaign for Children

Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions

Centro Community Hispanic Association Centro CHA Inc.

Cities United

Community Law in Action

The Center for Teen Empowerment

Human Resources Agency of New Britain, INC.

Helping All Women Transform (H.A.W.T Muse)

Urban Alliance

Beyond Ferguson: Bridging the Class and Racial Divides

Emerging Workforce Initiative, Inc.