After School and Beyond - Violence Prevention Program

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).

Hope Through Housing Foundation (HTHF) is requesting $750,000 for year three of its violence prevention initiative to address social service needs of families living within affordable housing communities in southern California. Funding will be used to expand and enhance HTHF's ongoing Violence Prevention Initiative to achieve four goals: (1) expand the violence prevention curriculum; (2) enhance program quality by creating and implementing a standardized training program for staff; (3) develop a comprehensive evaluation system to measure the impact of the training system on program quality; and (4) evaluate the cumulative impact of high quality affordable housing and best practices services on individuals, families, and communities.

HTHF's Violence Prevention Initiative is delivered afterschool to address and reduce behaviors associated with violence among at-risk youth. Expansion of this violence prevention program will allow HTHF to serve approximately 400 at-risk youth, grades K-8. By standardizing training for staff administering the program, HTHF is able to provide continuity and stability to youth enrolled in the program, improve the quality of afterschool services and, consequently, have a positive impact on youth behavior. Evaluation tools will provide necessary assessment of program impact and allow program staff to monitor program quality and effectiveness on an ongoing basis. NCA/NCF