The Meridian Housing Authority on Wednesday announced its application for a $1.5 million Youth Build grant through the U.S. Department of Labor.

The funds will be used to provide intervention strategies and job skills to at-risk youth.

MHA Executive Director Ron Turner said the program would help at-risk youth in multiple areas, including education, skills training, career planning, case management and more.

“It’s a community-based alternative educational program,” he said. “What our housing authority has decided to do is there are various components of the grant, education, construction, leadership, and our housing authority is applying for the construction component of this grant.”

Through the Youth Build grant, Turner said MHA plans to build three houses on properties it owns. Participants will have the opportunity to get their GED, learn construction skills through working with contractors on the homes and receive other educational and case management support thorough classwork and services at MHA.

“There’s two years of active program services,” he said. “The active program services again include the educational component, the occupational skills component, career exploration planning, case management and community service learning opportunities for these participants.”

The program will serve at least 84 participants age 16-24 who either dropped out of high school or are in disadvantaged areas, Turner said, and is flexible to allow those with jobs or other obligations room to participate.

Meridian Community College and Mississippi State University have signed on as community partners to bring additional opportunities in CTE training and college programs to the participants as they learn the occupational skills, he said.

“We’re going to be working with programs to get them qualified,” he said. “We’re pushing them then to move on, to get their CTEs, to get their certificates, to even graduate, to get college degrees.”

MHA is in a good position to be awarded the highly competitive Youth Build grant, Turner said. With 35 community partners signed on to assist and provide in-kind services, as well as a previously identified group of eligible participants, he said MHA is a good candidate for the funds.

“There’s only one other organization in the state of Mississippi that has been funded with this grant, and that’s Natchez,” he said. “We We just feel that with the community relations that we have throughout the City of Meridian that our chances of receiving the grant is great.”

The deadline to submit grant applications is Jan. 21, Turner said, and MHA is about 90% complete with its application. The housing authority is currently working on soliciting letters of support from community partners and putting the final touches on the paperwork. Finishing the application on time, he said, will not be a problem.

“Once we complete that, we’re agent to package it very pretty, put it in the mail and send it to Washington D.C. where we anticipate they’re going to be making selections on the successful grantees in May,” he said.