ACTION REQUESTED:
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Communication from the City Manager, Director of Public Works and Chief Innovation Officer with a Request to APPROVE the POSTING of the PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CREW SUPERVISOR and CASE MANAGER Positions for the Proposed PEORIACORPS Program, with Conditional Hiring Based upon Approval of Grant Funding.
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BACKGROUND: In 2015, City staff from the Public Works Department and Innovation Team traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to learn about their best practices around green infrastructure installation and maintenance. A key component of their maintenance regime is a program called PowerCorpsPHL, an AmeriCorps program which provides opportunity youth with the training and skill development necessary to pursue careers in related industries. City staff were inspired by the model and returned to Peoria with the intention of scoping the potential for a similar program locally. Following extensive engagement with the IDEAS Committee, One Water Committee, and other outreach through neighborhood associations and community groups, this model was deemed high priority for the Innovation Team's slated list of initiatives.
An Advisory Committee comprised of non-profits, potential fee-for-service organizations, the local workforce investment board, and other relevant stakeholders convened to develop the pillars of a PeoriaCorps model. Areas including recruitment, training, education, and support services were crafted by the Advisory Committee. The program is intended for opportunity youth, those ages 18 to 24 who have been out of school and unemployed for six months, to gain the employability skills necessary to become productive members of Peoria's community. Two crews of ten participants each will serve consecutive terms of six-months. Participants will spend 20% of their time in a classroom setting to gain the necessary knowledge to maintain green infrastructure as well as life skills such as financial literacy. The remaining 80% of participants'...
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