Northeast News
September 6, 2011

New York City has set a precedent for successful programs designed to address underlying causes of poverty. Kansas City will soon follow suit.

Five anti-poverty programs will be implemented in eight urban communities in the U.S., including Kansas City.

It’s part of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, funded by a federal Social Innovation Fund grant. Kansas City and other local organizations, including United Way of Greater Kansas City, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Full Employment Council, have partnered together to implement the the three-year pilot program, Project Rise.

Project Rise is geared toward 18 to 24-year-olds, who are not employed or attending school. Through Project Rise, eligible young adults will be placed in a paid internship and encouraged to further their education. Kansas City’s three-year program budget is $3.8 million, which includes federal dollars and local donations.

Kansas City’s initiative will study how the educational activities and short-term paid internships improve the young adults’ long-term economic opportunities. The goal is to help the participants gain work experience, job readiness skills and explore future careers.

I’m proud that Kansas City was chosen as one of the pilot communities for this initiative, Kansas City Mayor Sly James said. It is important for city government to be responsive to innovative new ways to take on the troubling challenge of poverty facing all our cities – a challenge that has only grown across this region over the past decade.

In Kansas City, poverty is troubling. More than one in four teens and young adults ages 16 to 24 live in poverty. Nearly one in 10 of this age group drop out of high school and don’t earn their GED.

Approximately 50 to 75 young adults will be placed in paid internships this month. Following their internship, the young adults will be placed in unsubsidized jobs or educational/advanced training programs. To oversee the initiative, James appointed a 10-member committee comprised of representatives from area businesses, education facilities and non-profit organizations.

At United Way, we are committed to innovation that leads to greater results during the critical decade of ages 16 to 26 when young people across our region are entering adulthood, United Way of Greater Kansas City President and Chief Executive Officer Brent Stewart said. Research tells us it is a decisive time in the life cycle to lay the foundation for escaping poverty and establishing life-long success – not only for these young adults, but also their children.