Lorain County commissioners OK $826K in federal funding for youth summer camps in 2025

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners last week approved spending $826,000 in federal funding on summer camps for low-income and underprivileged youth this year. Six providers will serve almost 630 youth, Lorain County Job & Family Services Director Chris Cabot told the board on Tuesday. The funding comes from federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, dollars. Cabot said Lorain County JFS gets $5 million annually. "These funds are really important to make a significant difference in the lives of underprivileged, low-income and sometimes really behaviorally challenged children," he said. The camps provide structure, life-skills building, social connections, educational opportunities, safety, meals "and quite frankly keep a lot of these kids out of trouble" during the summer months, Cabot said. All the camps will be held in Lorain County. If the money wasn't spent in Lorain County, where officials said it helps boost the economy, it would be at risk of going to other counties. The organizations hosting summer camps this year include: Horizon Education Centers, North Olmsted, which received $200,000; El Centro, Lorain, which received $175,000; Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio, Lorain, which received $150,000; Neighborhood Alliance, Lorain, which received $125,000; Tower Educational Consulting Group Inc., Lorain, which received $94,000; and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County, which received $82,000. TANF funds also are used to provide tutoring services, back-to-school and winter clothing, school social workers, shelter care and child care, Cabot said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.