Smack-dab in the center of California lies the city of Fresno, a population of 500,000-plus. Just a short two- to three-hour drive from national parks and cities like Sacramento and San Francisco, the lush area produces more cheese than Wisconsin, an abundance of grapes, citrus fruits and other produce. It might sound like paradise, but even paradise has its share of people in need. Some of those vulnerable people are the young, those transitioning from childhood into the responsibilities of adulthood.

In April 2022, the city of Fresno established programs to give underserved youths a jump start toward a better future. A grant from the state of California allowed the city to utilize $7.4 million over a two-year period in the program’s creation. Susan Chudy, who oversees this program, explained its two parts: One Fresno Youth Jobs Corp Initiative, the original initiative, and the Youth Ambassador Program, an offspring of it. The aim is to help young men and women who may be at the greatest risk of ending up on the streets or facing the justice system to thrive through a career path and planning.

Chudy stated that Fresno’s mayor, Jerry Dyer, advocated for the program’s creation. In his years as a police officer and former police chief, Dyer had seen the need for a program that put young people on the right path rather than waiting until they might step outside the law to try and correct that path.

“He gets teary about it because it’s one thing to incarcerate someone and hope they do better; it’s another thing to try to catch it beforehand,” Chudy said, stating that Dyer sees the program as his legacy.

One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps Program began on April 1, 2022, with 110 planned positions. She reported that the number increased to 200 young people currently employed directly by the city. These young men and women tend to be foster children, have a relative in the criminal justice system or face mental health issues. There are various job descriptions and departments that job seekers can apply for, with administrative ones the most sought-after.

Additionally, the Youth Ambassador Program launched last year and has 20 participants who work with the downtown Fresno partners to beautify the city. At concerts and festive events, these ambassadors help “create a warm downtown feeling,” according to Chudy. They represent the city by answering questions and providing recommendations to any citizens or visitors who might approach them. And starting in November, when the city institutes its new trolley system, ambassadors will begin working along those routes as well.

Providing participants with the resources they need to arrive at the job site prepared for the day’s work is crucial to the program’s success.

“The grant also has this beautiful layer of wraparound services,” Chudy continued.

Around a million dollars of it goes toward breaking down barriers to work by providing things like transportation services — bus passes or mileage pay — so that workers can get to their workplaces, childcare services for those with young children and proper attire like business clothing, uniforms or cold-weather gear for those who work outside. Chudy learned that one participant kept missing days of work because he was “couch hopping” and looking for the next night’s lodging after aging out of the foster system.

“I looked at this through the lens of ‘What would the mayor say if he knew about this?’” she said. She approached the state to amend their application to include emergency housing, a need that had been overlooked even at the state level. “We want them to feel like they have all the tools that they need to get the job done.”

The program is not a long-term solution to meet the needs of the youths involved. Instead, it offers job experience they can list on their resumes and a springboard into a future career. Part of this comes in the form of career coaching classes and career mapping classes — Chudy’s favorite class to teach, in which participants envision where they see their careers going in the future. While the city cannot automatically appoint these workers to departmental positions, it can help them map out pathways toward the ones they are interested in so that when jobs open, these young people are ready to apply for them.

Sometimes a worker is not a good fit for a city job, but the temporary job at least gives them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and grow as jobholders. “We’ve seen enormous success and many times … all of them just need a position that has dignity and one that they can have hope.”

Monthly gatherings also endeavor to boost the future success of these young people. Once per month, everyone on shift meets in the city council chambers for fellowship and to hear a financial talk. Chudy calls it “dinner-table conversations,” where those who might not have positive influences in their lives or whose parents might not even know these financial facts can learn in a safe and loving environment.

Chudy began working for the city on the same day that the program started. While there is a great deal of work to do — she even supervises a couple of the program’s beneficiaries to aid in her work — she calls it a “dream job” and is “excited to see where it goes” in the future.

Foster children in particular hold a special place in her heart. Prior to her work with the city, she was a program manager at a group home. In her role with the Youth Job Corps, she continues working with more than 20 young adults who have been in foster care for years.

She cited one particular success story, a young woman who came looking for a job and disclosed that she wanted to become a paramedic one day. While the city did not have any jobs in that field, Chudy was able to connect her with the fire department, where she was immersed in a similar job situation. The young lady is thriving in that environment.

“I’m getting teared up because this was a foster youth, and I know her story and where she was and where she is today and where she’s going. She brings so much to the table. … Her work ethic is one where she appreciates and holds onto the opportunity she’s been given.”

Without the grant, this program would not be possible in the city of Fresno. In the year and a half, since One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps was instituted, Chudy has been part of changing the mindset in many city offices. She stressed it takes time for a program like this to get going as well as to demonstrate to others that these young people can be an asset to the city. To do this, she instituted what she called “supervisor huddles,” taking time to talk with higher-level city employees involved in interviewing and hiring candidates and coaching them on the challenges these youths face in the job-seeking process. For many of these young, underserved people, the future looks bright in Fresno. Chudy concluded, “It’ll be interesting in five years — 10 years — to see where they are now.”

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