TITLE
Recommendation to, respectfully request City Manager and City Prosecutor to work with Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Board to develop the Promising Adults, Tomorrow's Hope (PATH) Program, an adolescent and young adult diversion pilot program in FY16, designed to assist disconnected out-of-school and out-of-work residents, aged 16-24, by combining occupational training, life skills development, mentoring, job placement, and post-secondary education as an alternative to criminal prosecution; and
Request City Manager to identify budget options in FY16, including but not limited to federal, state, and philanthropic grants, to support a "PATH Young Adult Diversion Coordinator" in the City Prosecutor's office and, separately, the development of a "PATH Young Adult Workforce Strategy" with Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Board targeted at all disconnected young adults.
DISCUSSION
The Problem
Per the 2010 US Census, young adults make up the largest segment of our population in Long Beach and represents our future human capital and workforce. Yet, this age group is facing unprecedented challenges in Long Beach and in our nation, and deserves a greater focus.
Young adults are confronted by a set of economic conditions that have serious, enduring costs for individuals, neighborhoods, businesses, and public safety. At 20.7 percent, the unemployment rate among residents aged 20 to 24 is almost triple the unemployment rate for people of all ages in the City of Long Beach. These young people are facing significantly higher rates of unemployment than the California and U.S. average, as Figure 1 shows.
Figure 1.
long Beach California U.S.
All ages 7.7% 6.3% 5.4%
16-19 year aids 27.6% 22.6% 17.1%
20-24 year aids 20.7% 16.9% 9.6%
**Statlstlcs per Pecitic Gateway
According to the City Prosecutor's Office, young adults between the ages of 18-24 comprise about 26% of all adult misdemeanors. Not all crimes ar...
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