CDBG Youth Safety- Violence Interrupters Program

Project Description: The Youth Safety – Violence Interrupters Program (YS Program) implement data-driven youth safety initiatives that are community-based and that target youth and their families who are at a heightened risk of engaging in or being victim of violence, consistent with Community Violence Intervention and Violence Interrupter program principles. Service delivery will take place through partnerships with community-organizations in high need areas in Dallas (Services).
The goal of the YS Program is to implement data-driven youth safety initiatives that are community-based and that target youth and their families who are at a heightened risk of engaging in or being victim of violence. The YS Program is consistent with Community Violence Intervention and Violence Interrupter program principles which seek to reduce gun violence by meaningfully engaging with the small number of individuals at the center of gun violence. At the heart of violence interruption programs are neighborhood change agents who build trust and form the personal relationships needed to mediate conflict. Change agents may also connect violence-impacted individuals to critical supportive social services. (See Center for American Progress).
The YS Program should strive to build community relationships, mediate conflicts, and connect youth living in a High-risk Area with social services and support programs. Subrecipients should use public data to which they have access or articulate proprietary or other data to determine these areas. The strategy to identify or target areas and/or a list of areas targeted for services and should outline how these areas were selected and why. High risk areas might include areas with higher rates of crime, higher rates of violent crime, higher rates of poverty, or higher rates of other factors or indicators known to increase risk of or strengthen protective factors against involvement in risky behaviors or criminal activity.