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Home My WebLink About05/07/2019 04Biv Gang Reduction Task Force (GRIT) Initiative Update to\'4\lyy tbxk ik 1 • )'.:41 P p P 1 PPi ittYlltYlt.\•.a. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEM ENT Item No. B.iv. For Meeting of: May 7, 2019 ITEM TITLE: Gang Reduction Task Force (GRIT) initiative update SUBMITTED BY: Sara Watkins, Senior Assistant City Attorney SUMMARY EXPLANATION: At the January 31, 2019 Council Public Safety Committee, Council members asked that the full Council receive a quarterly update on the GRIT initiative. Matt Fairbank and Sara Watkins will present a 3rd quarter update. ITEM BUDGETED: STRATEGIC PRIORITY: APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Upload Date Type IT 4/23/2019 e Me o Gang Reduction & Intervention Task Force I City of Yakima Overview Purpose e isto develop a sustainable organized response to gang �i activity and youth violence utilizing evidence-haled resources/ focusing efforts on intervening with 6/11 graders attracted to or joining A gangs. Three main elements of the approach developed by the Proviso money: 1. Village 2. Health Pro otter/p oto€ v w V mm - 3. Intervention Specialist ` Strategic oversight by the Steering Committee with help from Coordinator Steering Committee • Provides strategic oversight and meets monthly • Includes members from stakeholder sectors: Yakima School District, Yakima County (Prosecutor), Health Care (Yakima Valley Farmworkers' Clinic), Juvenile Justice (Probation Department), and City Council members. a al • Passed a Charter and Bylaws at last meeting whichat provides the permanent structure to GRIT and itso ' 3 � governing body—the Steering Committee41 • Added two seats on the Steering Committee: A Yakima Police Department Representative to be chosen by the Police Chief and a person who was a former gang member or formerly gang-affiliated, to be appointed by the City Council. f The Village • A coalition of stakeholders that want to provide youth in Yakima $v opportunities, encourage them to make good decisions, and work .r: v to decrease gang membership, affiliation and violence. r.. f • Stakeholders include school counselors, youth programming ... f providers, health care providers, juvenile justice representatives, ESD, non-profit organizations, mentoring programs, and interested community members. • Meetings are held every other month. Agenda items are 0 determined by gauging Coalition interest areas. Meetings also have included time for networking among attendees to help build °b n. capacity and collaboration among service providers and stakeholders. • Next meeting: May 29, 2019 from 12:00pm-2:00pm at Comprehensive Health Care's Auditorium. Now IS 0 Prevention StrategyIlkla • Contract with Rocio Carrion and Radio KDNA for weekly radio spots • Spots are discussing various prevention measures, community health issues (ACEs, trauma informed care) information about gang influences and mannerisms, youth opportunities, health care and resources for youth and families—geared towards adults • Spots will be aired at 5pm-6pm slot on Wednesdays through May • Radio interviews and ads are also being run on Townsquare Media platforms. These spots are geared more towards youth. • Providing information on summer and after school programs, in addition to short interviews about prevention measures. Yakima Youth Leadership Program lde shie • Intervention Strategy—Yakima Youth Leadership Pilot Program — Yakima Youth Leadership program for middle school youth — One-on-one and small group coaching with ten 6th graders — 10 students from Franklin and Lewis & Clark have been chosen for the Pilot (both girls and boys) — Coaching and mentoring of both the students and their parents, guardians and families to provide positive modeling, information about resources, education, and opportunities for families to grow. • Intervention Promotor/Specialist — Currently Gary Garza, former Yakima Police Officer and School Resource Officer — Approach would have the intervention specialist work with youth, their mentors, counselors, parents and/or guardians in the Leadership Program to direct them to resources and provide education. Resources : Data, Strategy, Research • Yakima Youth Leadership Program Data — Consent forms, as well as Parent/Guardian and Participant surveys have been developed. — Surveys have been given at the start of the Leadership program and will be compared with surveys taken at the end of the program in June. • Village Data — Surveys of various kinds have been given during and after the Village meetings to determine future agenda items, what participants want out of the meeting (i.e. more time for networking), and whether the meeting is a good use of time. — Surveys in the future will also cover capacity, opportunities available, and ideas to help continue the momentum of the Village and the collaboration that has been started as a result of the Village. Resources : Data, Strategy, Research • Youth Advisory Group — Two youth have volunteered to help on the Youth Advisory Group. — These members have reviewed the participant surveys and gave feedback as to the relevance of questions and language being used. — Members have also given good feedback about how to grow the Yakima Youth Leadership program and get high school youth involved in the program helping middle school students, such as peer mentoring opportunities for high school students. • Intern — We have a Stanford student, originally from Sunnyside, interesting in interning this summer. — If she is accepted into the Stanford program (which pays her a stipend to work over the summer), she will be helping our researcher (Juliana Van Olphen from San Francisco State) with the data compilation. She will also conduct the post-Leadership program surveys with the students and parents/guardians to remove bias from the answers. She is fluent in Spanish. Sustainability: Funding the GRIT Approach • Funding Received: The City of Yakima recently received a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for as part of the Healthy Transitions for Youth effort. This funding, $299,000 a year for five years, will be helpful in serving youth in a variety of ways including mental health and substance abuse treatment and with life skills training programs. • Pending Funding Requests — GRIT has applied for two grants (notification of awards have not been made): Yakama Nation Grant ($5,000.00) and a Yakima Community Foundation Grant ($25,000.00). — GRIT was part of OIC of Washington's recent OJJDP grant application for mentoring programs for youth involved in the juvenile justice system (ages 12-17). The grant is for $500,000 over 3 years for mentoring services to low-risk youth offenders. The project, if funded, would provide mentoring to 45 youth per year. — The GRIT program has been written into a funding proviso currently being considered by the Senate Ways and Means and the House Appropriations Committees. This funding proposal would enable a program originally started in Moses Lake, El Nuevo Camio, to continue it mentoring offerings and expand them to Yakima through the GRIT framework. • Future Funding Opportunities — The GRIT coordinator and staff continue to look at opportunities to obtain funding to continue the GRIT approach and the Yakima Youth Leadership Program — Upcoming OJJDP grants for school-based youth violence prevention programs and gang deterrence will be evaluated Next Steps • Ongoing evaluation of the Pilot Program through weekly calls with the intervention specialist, and consultants • Steering Committee updates and evaluation of future opportunities and partnerships • Continue Village meetings • Continue search for grants and other funding opportunities • Compile data from the Yakima Youth Leadership program and create final report Questions ? 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