Way Station to be recipient of nearly $1 million grant

By D.A. Wilkinson

The congressman said the move will make the region more attractive to businesses.

SALEM — James Couchenour, chairman of The Way Station’s board, was driving when he got a call worth almost $1 million.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-6th, on Monday afternoon announced that The Way Station will receive a $994,532 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The money will expand funding to the YouthBuild program that provides funds for training and education for at-risk people.

When contacted by a reporter with the news, Couchenour said, “Oh wow.”

The Way Station has been offering the program that helps people get a general equivalency degree or certification in a trade. The local YouthBuild is funded by a $75,000 contract from the Columbiana County Department of Job Family Services.

“Congratulations to The Way Station,” Wilson said in a statement. “This hands-on training is exactly the kind of work that not only benefits individuals by giving them key work skills, it benefits the community. The better and more trained our workforce is, the more attractive we are as a region to prospective employers.”

Couchenour said the local program didn’t receive money in the first round of applications this year, but heard it ranked high on the second round of funding.

The big surprise was the amount.

“We didn’t anticipate this,” Couchenour added.

The local program is to start again in August with about 15 participants. It will run for about nine months.

Couchenour said the program has 300 sites throughout the nation and is going international.

The funds will be dispersed later. Couchenour wasn’t sure of the length of the grant.

According to the labor department, YouthBuild helps people age 16-24 who have been in “the juvenile justice system, are aging out of foster care, are high school dropouts or otherwise at-risk of failing to reach key educational milestones and the opportunities that lead to career fulfillment.”

Area training sites that are part of the program include The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, Columbiana County Career and Technical Center, Ohio Department of Development, Titan Construction, Columbiana County One-Stop, East Liverpool Municipal Court, Nehemiah Network, New Life Academy, Kent State University, Home Builder’s Association of the Mahoning Valley, Glidden Paints, Home Depot and the county DJ FS.

The Way Station also runs the Ezra Center in East Liverpool for people dealing with chemical abuse issues. Couchenour said those people can move on to YouthBuild as they recover.

The Way Station also runs three sites in the county that deal with poverty.

wilkinson@vindy.com