TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to submit a grant application to the State of California Governor's Office of Emergency Services for a Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (Cal GRIP) Program for Cities grant, in the amount of $500,000 for a period of three years; and to execute any documents necessary for the implementation and administration of the Program, including a required in-kind match of $500,000. (Districts 1,6,7)
DISCUSSION
The Office of the City Manager, Human Dignity Program, has identified a grant opportunity for' funding of gang reduction, intervention, and prevention through the State of California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (Cal GRIP) Program for Cities. Cal GRIP provides funding to cities for reentry, education, job training and skills development, family and community services, and gang suppression activities.
The Long Beach GRIP Program would address unmet community needs necessary to effectively address youth and gang violence through a youth-centered, community-wide approach that would enlist the expertise and resources of numerous City departments including the City Manager's Office, Department of Health and Human Services and the Police Department, community-based organizations, Long Beach Unified School District, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and additional regional partners. The Long Beach GRIP Program would be designed to provide youth who are identified as already involved in criminal or gang activity or are at-risk of becoming so, with positive alternatives to gang participation in a safe environment. The Long Beach GRIP Program would also be designed to promote community awareness and education through antigang messages and to enhance the coordination of existing youth and gang violence prevention efforts to maximize the return on the investment of limited resources.
The City of Long Beach currently receives funding from the federal Department of Justice through a Weed and Seed grant for limited gang violence prevention and intervention efforts in police beats four and five. Cal GRIP funds would enhance these efforts in these police beats to more comprehensively address the breadth and depth of the gang problem. This area was selected due to high occurrences of crime and a persistent problem with gangs, in comparison to other police beats in the city.
The Long Beach GRIP Program would: enhance Weed and Seed youth Safe Havens (via the delivery of additional computers, internet connectivity, school supplies, books, activities and tutoring); establish a program at CSULB that exposes under-represented youth to postsecondary education opportunities; provide a Violence Prevention Coordinator responsible for administering the Long Beach GRIP Program and developing a citywide violence prevention plan; support the Police Department Intervention/ Prevention program; and fund a part-time Department of Health and Human Services Community Health Worker to further Weed and Seed grant objectives.
As a required City match, the City of Long Beach Workforce Investment Network would provide an in-kind support valued at $166,667 annually ($500,000 over the three-year project period) through its current Community Beautification/Neighborhood Enhancement Project. This workforce development project will provide job training and economic opportunities for youth participants in the Long Beach GRIP Program.
This letter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Richard F. Anthony on December 14, 2007, and Budget and Budget Management Officer Victoria Bell on December 14, 2007.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on December 18, 2007, as the City must submit a grant application to the State by December 31,2007.
FISCAL IMPACT
If the grant application is successful, the City will receive $500,000 over a three-year period for the Long Beach GRIP Program. An appropriations increase will be requested upon award of the grant to the City. The Long Beach Workforce Investment Network will provide an in-kind match valued at $166,667 annually ($500,000 over three years).
Funding for the Community Beautification/Neighborhood Enhancement Project is already budgeted in the Department of Community Development.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
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APPROVED: |
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PATRICK H. WEST |
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CITY MANAGER |