Never Give Up! Gang & Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Initiative

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

These funds will sustain the duties of the Fresno County Gang Task Force Coordinator to support, enhance, and improve systems for providing gang prevention and intervention services to high risk youth under 18. The proposal provides management of referral system entry points and tracking for gang prevention and intervention services focused in identified hot spots. A system of information resources, referrals and tracking will be in place. Intervention with High Risk Youth includes the continued implementation of the Family-to-Family model. With an overall vision to improve results for children and families involved in the child welfare system, the model focuses on addressing and eliminating several gang involvement risk factors including 1) family management problems, 2) family conflict, 3) low neighborhood attachment, and 4) transition and mobility. Through core strategies of team-based decision making, building community partnerships, recruitment/training/support of resource families, and self-evaluation, Family-to-Family has established a countywide structure for the most positive and beneficial placement of youth and delivery of services to families to reduce identified gang risk factors.

NCA/NCF