July 28, 2025
This system paused the rollout of its last paychecks after the state didn’t switch awarded grant cash.
A summer time job program for teenagers all through the Chicago space can’t pay its individuals because the Illinois authorities refuses to offer a bulk of its funding.
Over 100 teenagers have labored all summer time with the promise of a last paycheck to reward their exhausting work. Now, they may go with out that final bit of cash resulting from finances constraints.
The kids took half within the South Suburban youth program. The chance provides town’s youth with employment that serves their neighborhood. Nevertheless, the teenagers have expressed frustration with lacking out on the paycheck. Based on CBS Information Chicago, a lot of them anticipated to get over $1,000.
One pupil worker, Dorothy Omokowajo, stated they didn’t obtain an affordable clarification for why their work would go unpaid. Omokowajo, alongside fellow teen Ian Walker, labored on the Profession Compass mission with a neighborhood college district.
“I simply don’t have a transparent purpose as to why that is taking place to us,” shared Omokowajo. “I’m very pissed off on the state in the event that they’re those doing this.”
She added, “I realized a lot being on the district, and I realized so many abilities I need to implement after I go into school.”
Walker says this system supplied him summer time employment that served a higher objective than theme parks or flipping burgers. He referred to as the information about their revoked paychecks a “gotcha” second, however with no humorous punchline.
“I used to be searching for a summer time job, however I used to be additionally searching for a job with a objective,” Walker stated.
The paychecks didn’t materialize after the Cook dinner County Southland Juvenile Justice Council, a nonprofit that funds this system, didn’t obtain its anticipated state grant. The Illinois Division of Human Providers bestows the grants by means of the state’s Youth Funding Program.
The state awarded the Justice Council two grants that totaled over $250,000. Nevertheless, as of July, that they had solely acquired $17,000 of the funding. The council’s CFO additionally informed the information outlet they didn’t obtain any cash from one grant in any respect. At the moment, the ultimate funds whole practically $100,000.
“I’ve by no means needed to name college students and say don’t come to work since you’re not getting paid,” stated Barbara Inexperienced-Kenan, mission supervisor for the careers program. “Have you learnt how that feels? That’s a horrible feeling.”
The state has not disclosed why the cash has not but been transferred over. Within the meantime, the profession program administration will navigate its subsequent steps to get the scholars’ cash.
“We have to get this cash in for these children and get them located, and we don’t want to go away a nasty style of their mouth when it’s throughout,” shared the CFO, James Lyles.
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