Roundtable Restoring the Village Youth Initiative/Desistance Grant

The Youth Gang Desistance/Diversion Grant Program supports the efforts of jurisdictions struggling with high levels of youth gang violence to implement one or more components of the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model as part of a community- and data-driven desistance/diversion response to gang-related crime and violence. This program is authorized by Pub. L. No. 116-6 Stat. 13, 113.

The Roundtable of St. Lucie County operates the Restoring the Village Youth Initiative (RTVYI), an OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model in Fort Pierce, Florida. In this project, RTVYI proposes to increase public safety and reduce gang violence and victimization in St. Lucie County by 30 percent over 3 years through (1) continued implementation of RTVYI currently in place; (2) expansion of the strategy through offering services to youth in new target areas and to new target groups, including females; and (3) enhancement of the strategy through development of new and effective mental health and substance abuse programming. To reach these goals, the project design includes the following core elements: (1) assess emerging needs for gang-involved youth by conducting a community assessment, continuing ongoing program evaluation, and mobilizing and enhancing community collaboration and partnerships with stakeholders in new areas; (2) build capacity to respond to emerging needs for gang-involved youth by addressing system gaps and capacity building needs identified in the assessment and program evaluation; (3) enhance effective programs and strategies to identify and serve gang-involved youth by enhancing components of the Comprehensive Gang Model; and (4) better respond to emerging needs for gang-involved youth, identified in the gang assessment and program evaluation. CA/NCF