Grant Details

The goal of this solicitation is to support communities in developing a wide variety of desistance or diversion strategies that are evidence-based or promising models for youth at risk of becoming gang involved or continuing in the gang lifestyle. Specific objectives include:

• Reduce the impact of violence on youth by improving identification, screening, access, delivery, and quality of services available to youth exposed to gang-related violence in an attempt to prevent them from joining a gang or being victimized by a gang.
• Reduce and sustain reductions in community youth violence, particularly gun and gang violence, and victimization.
• Prevent violence and promote healing from victimization and exposure to violence in the home, school, and community.
• Enhance effective programs and strategies to identify and serve youth at risk of becoming gang involved or continuing in the gang lifestyle. Applicants are encouraged to enhance existing community collaboratives and partnerships, where feasible, to provide these enhanced programs and strategies.
• Convene a task force or working group (this may be an existing group) that meets regularly throughout the project period to identify and address service gaps and barriers, and create a blueprint for a comprehensive network of services for youth at risk of becoming gang involved or continuing in the gang lifestyle.
• Develop, expand, or enhance the use of community assessments and strategic planning that use data to inform decision making (e.g., the selection of an evidence-based program) for ongoing program improvement and for measuring outcomes.

Under this program, OJP will, as appropriate, give priority consideration in award decisions to applications that propose projects that directly benefit federally designated Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ).