Boston City Council Committee Advances $4.1 Million Youth Jobs Grant

BOSTON — April 24, 2025 — Boston City Council committee advances $4.1 million state grant for youth summer jobs. The committee, chaired by Councilor Erin J. Murphy, heard testimony Thursday on Docket 0887, a $4,149,200 YouthWorks grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development that will fund subsidized employment, leadership training, and career exploration for more than 1,000 low-income and at-risk Boston residents ages 14 to 25. Joseph Lee, chief of staff at the Office of Workforce Development, and Anna Shure, assistant deputy director for grants management, told the panel the funds are distributed through seven sub-recipient organizations and city departments, with Boston historically receiving about 30 percent of statewide YouthWorks appropriations. Councilor Brian Worrell pressed officials on supports for court-involved youth, learning that YouthWorks dollars specifically fund roughly 60 seats at the city's Youth Options Unlimited program. The docket is expected to go before the full City Council at its next meeting, and officials confirmed the grant cannot be used for undocumented youth under state guidance.