Dozens of recipients of the Illinois Youth Investment Program are asking Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly to support funding for the program. They say nearly 5,000 Illinois youths will lose work this month.
Initially, a group of 59 partner organizations scheduled a press conference for Wednesday to bring attention to the matter. This afternoon, Jack Wuest, executive director of the Alternative Schools Network, said the press conference has been called off “in light of the strong discussions we’ve had with the [state] legislature in the last week and a half.”
“Since we have proposed to have a press conference on Wednesday, there have been many excellent conversations with our partners in the legislature and we’re partnering with the governor’s key staff about this urgent issue to figure out funding to continue the employment of you who have jobs,” Wuest said in a written statement.
Just after 5 p.m. today, a spokesperson with the governor’s office emailed a response stating that the Illinois Youth Investment Program is receiving the same $45 million in funding for fiscal year 2027 as it did for fiscal year 2026.
“Governor Pritzker is maintaining youth-employment funding at last year’s level—not cutting it. He remains committed to investing in opportunities that help young people build skills, gain experience and earn a paycheck, even as the [President Donald J.] Trump administration creates new funding challenges for states and communities,” the statement read.
Initial confusion about the funding came from a technical drafting error that listed $60 million as the figure for the program. In June, Pritzker used a reduction veto, which reportedly corrects major drafting mistakes and clerical typos included in the final hours of the state legislative session.
In a June 15 letter, the Illinois General Assembly notified Pritzker’s administration of the error and requested he use his reduction-veto authority to correct it.
The Illinois Youth Investment Program is run by the Department of Human Services (DHS). According to DHS, the program is a multi-faceted approach to youth employment that invests in the future of at-risk teens and young adults between the transitional ages of 16 to 24.
From downstate to Chicago and Northern Illinois, according to a press release, 59 community organizations receive the funding and partner with employers to place young workers in unsubsidized workspaces.
The group wants the Illinois General Assembly to work with the governor to keep employing the youth.
A 2014 study from the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the University of Pennsylvania found that a public summer jobs program for high school students from disadvantaged Chicago neighborhoods reduced violent crime arrests by 43% over a 16-month period.
This story has been updated to reflect details from the governor’s office.
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