Chicago Housing Authority commissioners will next week consider a grant to help about 900 low-income youth land jobs at city agencies.

Officials say their goals are to help struggling teenagers make extra money in a stagnant economy and to keep them off the streets during the summer lull from school.

"The last thing you want in the summertime when school is out is a lot of kids out there with nothing productive to do," says Kristen Hamer, director of resident services at the authority.

Summers in Chicago usually bring a spike in gang activity and violent crime. This year, those elements combine with a harsh economic climate for teens, who often have little education or work experience to offer cash-strapped employers.

"Teenagers are definitely feeling the economic crunch in terms of the lack of available jobs," Hamer says. "You could argue that they have been hit even harder (than other workers.)"

As evidence, Hamer pointed to 11 job fairs the authority held earlier this year. She says more than 900 youngsters attended the fairs, and that more than half brought documents to prove their eligibility to work under a federal program for low-income youth.

The $1.9 million grant that housing commissioners will consider at Tuesday's board meeting will help those young people find work at agencies associated with the housing authority, as well as the police department.

It is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more commonly known as the federal stimulus package, and administered through Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services.

Applicants must live in public housing, be from 14 through 24 years old, and meet other eligibility requirements under the federal Workforce Investment Act.

Most jobs will last six to eight weeks and pay $8 to $9 per hour, according to officials.

The minimum wage in Illinois is $7.75 per hour for workers 18 and older. Employers may pay younger workers $7.25 per hour.

Officials say they will place participants in the program at job sites closest to where they live, and that all participants will receive job-readiness training.

The jobs will include recycling, gardening and landscaping work, as well as training in technology and placement with local businesses.

Applicants must first register at youthreadychicago.org.

Tuesday's board meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. in Schneider Apartments, 1750 W. Peterson Ave.