VIP - an anti violence program for youth

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).

The Boston Public Health Commission's Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) initiative addresses violence in four sub-neighborhoods in Boston that have the highest levels of gang activity and youth violence. VIP is a data-driven collaborative approach relying on coordination and collaboration of city partners, community based organizations and the Boston Police Department. Over the next two years, Boston Public Health Commission will expand the current Violence Intervention and Prevention neighborhoods by 20%, increase resident participation in those neighborhoods by 50% and add one additional neighborhood. Key program goals and objectives are: strengthening resident and community engagement through the development of neighborhood coalitions; increasing skills of outreach workers, coalition leaders and residents; increasing youth access to employment, summer and after-school opportunities; and reducing physical disorder (such as abandoned cars and broken streetlights) that contribute to crime. The target population consists of low-income youth in the four neighborhoods affected by youth violence and delinquency. Progress toward achieving goals and objectives will be measured by the number of adults and youth engaged in community coalitions and connected to after-school programs and employment, by the implementation and results of training for key staff and volunteers, and by the degree to which community coalitions are working with city agencies to identify and address physical disorder in the neighborhoods. NCA/NCF