To unleash the positive energy of low-income young adults to rebuild their communities and their own lives with a commitment to work, education, responsibility, and family.

In YouthBuild programs, unemployed and undereducated young people ages 16-24 work toward their GED or high school diploma while learning job skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people. Strong emphasis is placed on leadership development, community service, and the creation of a positive mini-community of adults and youth committed to success.

Since 1994, more than 54,000 YouthBuild students have produced over 14,000 units of low-income housing.

From 2000 to 2004, 72% of YouthBuild students were men and 28% were women. 28% were parents. They were 46% African-American, 24% Latino, 23% White, 3% Native American, 2% Asian American, and 2% other.

From 2000 to 2004, 88% of YouthBuild students entered the program without their GED or diploma, 32% had been adjudicated, and 28% received public assistance prior to joining YouthBuild. In spite of these overwhelming odds, 59% completed the program and 80% of graduates went on to college or jobs averaging $8.15/hour.

Local YouthBuild programs are small, supportive mini-communities usually operated by independent, community-based and faith-based organizations. YouthBuild USA is the non-profit agency that serves as the national intermediary and support center for YouthBuild programs nationwide. In this role, YouthBuild USA orchestrates advocacy for public funding; guidance and quality assurance in program implementation; leadership opportunities for youth and staff; research to understand best practices; and grants and loans to YouthBuild affiliates. YouthBuild USA leads the national YouthBuild movement and contributes to the broader youth and community development fields in order to diminish poverty in the United States and abroad. The YouthBuild Coalition, sponsored by YouthBuild USA, is a network of more than 1,000 organizations in 49 states that advocate for YouthBuild programs.

The average cost per participant is about $20,000 a year, including stipends for work performed. This is less than other full-time options for unemployed young adults, such as Job Corps, boot camps, the military, prison, and many colleges.

In 1978, Dorothy Stoneman, now president of YouthBuild USA, asked neighborhood teens in East Harlem, NY how they would improve their community if they had adults supporting them. The students answered, “We’d rebuild the houses. We’d take empty buildings back from the drug dealers and eliminate crime.” Together they formed the Youth Action Program and Homes and renovated the first YouthBuild building. They replicated the program in five locations in New York City during the 1980s. In 1990, YouthBuild USA was founded to orchestrate the YouthBuild national replication. By the early 1990s the program had been replicated in 11 cities nationwide and had been added as a line item in the federal budget. Since its inception in 1978, tens of thousands of people have contributed to the YouthBuild movement, which has been called “a wellspring of human reclamation” by The New York Times.

YouthBuild USA was named one of America’s 100 Best Charities by Worth Magazine in 2002. In honor of the success of YouthBuild, Dorothy Stoneman was awarded the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 1996 and the Independent Sector’s annual John Gardner Leadership Award in 2000.

Home, Program Information, Application & Requirements, Partners, Program Support, Directions, Contact Us, Projects