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Crime Free Multi Housing June 16, 2011 TO:Human Relations Commission FR:Carmen Atilano Manager of Office of Human Rights and Community Relations RE:Gang Prevention: Crime Free Multi Housing th HRC meeting, the group of city staff who initially spoke with you in the At the June 20 Spring of 2009 regarding summer activities for at risk youth (Larry Gibson, BPD Community Liaison; Kathryn Coleman, School Based Services Manager; Wanda Pelegrina, Family Resource Schools Outreach Coordinator; Clay Fong, Community Mediation ServicesManager; and myself)will provide a presentationand a request Crime Free Multi-Housing regarding programas an alternative effort in gang prevention. The group proposes a pilot effort in San Juan del Centro. Crime Free Multi-Housing The programis an international program that began in Mesa, AZ in 1992. Currently the program is in 44 states, five Canadian provinces, Mexico, England, Finland, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Puerto Rico. This effort has been successful by forming partnerships between police, city offices, community groups and multi housing communities to address public safety concerns particularly helping to keep drugs and other illegal activity off rental property. Attached please find information on examples in Longmont and Tempe, Arizona. What proceeds is background of HRC activity on the issue of gang prevention: Background: To help prevent gang activity, the HRC reserved $3000 of its funds to assistParks and Recreation Department withscholarship summer activities to low-income youth. Note: Summer day camp costs $150-300 per child for the summer, or $50-75 dollars would purchase a 40-punch pass for a child to attend any program or activity in the Recreation Centers. There were questions about whether the punch passes are usually fully used, whether the opportunity would be promoted bilingually, and whether the pilot period should encompass the school year. There were concerns over the fact that the relationship to gang activity is not clearly articulated, the low age requirements for the scholarships, the amount of the grant, and that the scholarships might be curtailed due to the fact that school was already ending. The HRC wished to fund something sustainable that would encourage the youth into the following year. The HRC requested that Parks and Recreation work with Community Mediation Services and the Boulder Police Department to identify at- risk youth, and that they serve a minimum of 20 kids, ages 11-18. In response to the HRC’s intention to provide gang prevention scholarships to the Boulder Recreation Centers, the Division of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) of the Department of Housing and Human Services identified 15 high school students, 2 middle school students and 4 elementary school students who were good candidates. There were obstacles regarding internet access and ability to complete the applications, and no scholarships hadyet been awardedas of July 2009. CYF discovered that students were more interested in joining sports leagues, rather than use Parks and Recreation programs. CommissionerDings moved that the HRC move$1000 of the allocated fundsto summer league and summer camp, in that order of preference, at the discretion of Parks and Recreation staff. The HRC discussed theinitial mission of gang prevention/intervention, and the logistics of determining which private leagues were appropriate. The motion was not passed. In November 2009, Kathryn Coleman with CYF spoke on the process for gang prevention funding. Four families received Parks and Recreation passesand were pleased with them. There were problems with the application process –the Parks and Recreation application was daunting for some families. Also, for families with younger kids, punch cards were logisticallydifficult, as parents needed to accompany the child, or a sibling also wanted to attend. High school children were more interested in spending time with friends or participating in an activity their friends could attend. Last, most requests for funding were for soccer, which is not offered through Parks and Recreation. The HRC asked about the interest in soccer and other obstacles to the program. In the summer 2010, Commissioner Conners Bauer spoke regarding the fact that it was too late in the summer to try to use the remaining funds for recreational activitiesfor at risk youth. She proposed an expression project at Boulder High Schoolin partnership with Community Mediation Services.This would be to give youth an opportunity to express what it’s like for them to live in the City of Boulder and what factors impact them in terms of gang involvement. The results of the project could be published and the participating students would receive gift cards. The remaining funds ($2,800) were re-allocated to fund a creative expression project. Because of numerous threats against students at BHS, the creative expression project has not been launched. Efforts have focused on engaging students and community members on critical issues related to creating a safe andrespectful school environment. At the April 18, 2011 HRC meeting, an update was provided on the Boulder County Gang Task Force. There was discussion regarding two different programs, GRIP, which is a program that is lead by members of the community and is taught to all students and GREAT which is administered through the Bureau of Justice, taught by police officers and targeted to at risk students. There was discussion about the curriculum program, teaching life skills, prevention and a non-competitive sports league. It was determined that the money set aside for the scholarships may be better spent by supporting one of the prevention programs. HRC will continue to follow this issue.