Explanation
This ordinance authorizes an appropriation within the Public Safety Initiatives subfund in support of expanding the APPS Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program.
In February 2018, Columbus City Council committed $500,000 in funding to support community safety initiatives. In addition to supplementing the Police recruiting classes in an effort to stem neighborhood violence, Council funding is intended to enhance the city's violence intervention program, build, empower, and unify neighborhood leaders, enhance collaboration between human services providers, and provide additional youth employment opportunities.
The Applications for Purpose, Pride, and Success (APPS) program was created in 2011. Its mission is to reduce crime and violence by increasing protective factors in the lives of Columbus youth and young adults (ages 14-23) through proven prevention and intervention strategies. Those strategies include offering safe and constructive alternatives to violence, youth mentorship, linkage to necessary services, and providing long-term support for future goal attainment.
Through street-level violence interruption and conflict mediation by trained Violence Intervention workers, and neighborhood based services, the APPS Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program (NVI) program is focused on building relationships with proven high-risk youth - or known violent offenders - in order to guide them away from violence and toward positive alternatives, and to restore a sense of safety and improve the future outlook for the focus communities. Through pooled intelligence with law enforcement and community partners, the APPS NVI team hopes to identify the top riskiest youth in the most violent neighborhood gangs. As a result, APPS NVI mentoring efforts will be focused on the young people widely recognized to be the individual(s) driving the violence within the APPS designated neighborhoods.
The Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program has experienced increasing demand and requests for services from community partners. As part of its priority to enhance the NVI program, City Council is providing Recreation and Parks with the resources necessary to supplement the staffing of the NVI program.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Public Safety Initiatives subfund.
Emergency action is requested in order to immediately provide Recreation and Parks with the resources necessary to add staff to the NVI program.
Title
To authorize an appropriation within the Public Safety Initiatives subfund in support of the APPS Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program; and to declare an emergency. ($74,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the mission of the Applications for Purpose, Pride, and Success (APPS) program is to reduce crime and violence by increasing protective factors in the lives of Columbus youth and young adults (ages 14-23) through proven prevention and intervention strategies; and
WHEREAS, the APPS Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program (NVI) program is focused on building relationships with proven high-risk youth - or known violent offenders - in order to guide them away from violence and toward positive alternatives; and
WHEREAS, the APPS NVI team hopes to identify the top riskiest youth in the most violent neighborhood gangs; and
WHEREAS, in response to an increasing demand for services, City Council is providing Recreation and Parks with the resources necessary to supplement the staffing of the NVI program; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily business of the city in that it is immediately necessary to appropriate funds to Recreation and Parks in order to avoid any delay in supplementing the staffing of the NVI program; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $74,000.00 in the Public Safety Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100016, to the Department of Recreation and Parks per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.