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Home My WebLink AboutIR 8442 r! ,v INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No, 8442 October 29, 2002 r' � , To the Mayor and Members of the City Council a tns SUBJECT: Safe Haven City Council has requested an update on our Safe Haven programs, which are funded in the Crime Control and Prevention District budget. This report provides a brief history and discusses the impact we believe this program has had on crime prevention in the areas served and the impact on the academic performance of the young people who participate in the programs. Establishment of a Safe Haven was a requirement of the original Weed & Seed grant that began in 1992. The Weed & Seed area consisted of three neighborhoods: Polytechnic Heights, Stop Six and the Near Southeast. Due to the higher level of violent crime, the decision was made by the Weed & Seed Steering Committee to establish the initial Safe Haven site in the Near Southeast in a portable_bulding at Van Zandt Guinn Elementary School and allow any child from any neighborhood to attend the site. The original Safe Haven was funded through Communities in School (CIS). CIS operated the program for one year. In 1993, Weed & Seed grant .funds were used to fund the program and the Citizens Crime Commission of Tarrant County assumed responsibility for the operation with the provision that the Weed & Seed Executive Oversight Committee would locate another agency to operate the program as soon as possible. They operated the Safe Haven site for one year. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth began stewardship of the program during fiscal year 1994- 95. They have continued to operate the program to the present time. From the onset of the program they offered the following services: Education Services Health & Physical Education Arts & Crafts Homework & Tutoring Basketball (Coed) Ceramics Computer Classes Football (Coed) Photography Contest Science Projects Soccer(Coed) Painting Spelling Bees Fitness Clinics Drama Story Time Exercise Programs Dance College/University Field Trips Competitive League Sports Art contest Financial Aid Assistance Dental & Vision Programs Job Training Drug & Alcohol Prevention Programs English as a Second Language Conflict Resolution/Anger Management Programs ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS , INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NO. 8442 October 29, 2002 A P-s T 9 o0b To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 2 of 4 SUBJECT: Safe Haven Leadership Activities Social Recreation Community Service Board Games Keystone Club Pool Table Games Torch Club Chess/Checkers Swoosh Club Air Hockey Junior Staff Ping Pong Senior Staff Foosball Table Field Trips Most services were offered directly by Safe Haven staff, but some were offered through partner agencies, including non-profits and government services. During fiscal year 1995-96, the Weed & Seed grant required expansion into a second target area. City officials and citizens selected Diamond Hill based upon the same selection criteria of the original site. The Boys & Girls Clubs were asked to implement a second Safe: Haven site at Washington Heights Elementary. This site was moved to Kirkpatrick Middle School during fiscal year 1999 — 2000 due to space limitations and to better serve the community. In March 2002, the Safe Haven South facility was moved from two portable buildings with 500 square feet at Van Zandt Guinn Elementary to a dedicated facility at the Martin Polytechnic Safe Haven with 25,000 square feet. The new site is located at 3123 Avenue G and is within the original Weed & Seed target area. The site is operating a shuttle service with 60 children from the Near Southeast participating daily. During the school year, the Safe Haven sites are open after school Monday-Friday until 8:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. During the summer months the sites are open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays for special events. ISSUED BY"rHE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS - INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8442 October 29, 2002 pATMr*, to- To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 3 of 4 1073 SUBJECT: Safe Haven The chart below illustrates the funding history and average daily attendance. Fiscal Year Site Location Funding Avg. Daily Attendance 1994— 1995 South Van Zandt Guinn $72,597—Weed & Seed 70 1995 — 1996 South Van Zandt Guinn $120,843 —Weed & Seed 79 1995 — 1996 Diamond Hill Washington Hts $145,156— Weed & Seed 90 1996— 1997 South Van Zandt Guinn $ 75,828 —Weed & Seed 94 1996— 1997 Diamond Hill Washington Hts $124,172- Weed & Seed 99 1997 — 1998 South Van Zandt Guinn $110,000—Weed & Seed 97 1997 — 1998 Diamond Hill Washington Hts. $124,192—Weed & Seed 101 1998— 1999 South Van Zandt Guinn $56,549—Weed & Seed; 98 $114,363 - CCPD 1998— 1999 Diamond Hill Washington Hts. $70,519—Weed & Seed; III $55,637—CCPD 1999—2000 South Van Zandt Guinn $54,500—Weed & Seed; 107 $114,363 - CCPD 1999—2000 Diamond Hill Kirkpatrick MS $64,220—Weed & Seed; 123 $55,637 CCPD 2000 - 2001 South Van Zandt Guinn $159,462 —CCPD 112 2000 —2001 Diamond Hill Kirkpatrick MS $95,693 —CCPD 127 2001 —2002 South Martin Safe Haven $227,763 —CCPD 353 2001 —2002 Diamond Hill Kirkpatrick MS $35,047—CCPD 124 Note: The Diamond Hill site has received supplemental funds from the 76106 state grant program for high-risk youth since 1998. Both Safe Havens began in conjunction with the Weed & Seed grant that was implemented in 1992, The original site on the southeast was an essential part of our Weed & Seed strategy. While assembling materials to submit the grant and in meetings with the community a consistent lament was the mental damage that was being done to our youth who on a regular basis heard gunshots in their community. Many had lost close relatives and some were suffering poor performance at school due to lack of sleep at night. Many young people expressed a fear of going home after school, a fear of witnessing a shooting, being hit by a bullet, or having to fend off gang members. The Safe Haven, like our After School program, was designed for two purposes: to protect our young people from being victims of crime; and to reinforce their schoolwork to prevent them from becoming perpetrators. Both goals have been achieved in each of the Safe Haven areas. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8442 October 29, 2002 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 4 of 4 ,t SUBJECT: Safe Haven The area around Van. Zandt Guinn Elementary, the initial site of the Safe Haven South, in 1992 was one of the most violent areas of the city, recording 17 murders within a one-mile area around the Safe Haven. By 2001, a stunning change had occurred: Violent crime fell by 69%, with Murder down 94.1%. The Safe Haven has played a part in causing that dramatic decrease in crime. Similar but less dramatic results have been seen in a one-mile radius around the North Safe Haven. Comparing 2001 with 1994, the year prior to the opening of the Safe Haven, violent crime has fallen by 28.6%. In addition to the growing participation noted in the chart above and the reductions in crime, the Boys and Girls Clubs have also been tracking students at each site to assess grade-level improvement during participation. This study demonstrates outcomes that are consistent with the outcomes assumed in the design of the After School Program, i.e., that if youth are in supervised activities with structured academic work their grades will improve and the opportunity for them to engage in criminal activity will decrease. At Safe Haven Diamond Hill, 60% showed at least one grade level improvement during the 2001-02 academic year compared to the previous academic year. This site also has 30 members on the A Honor Roll and 125 members on the A/B Honor Roll. Results at Safe Haven South have shown an improvement in 52%of the students. This site has 40 members on the A Honor Roll and 135 on the A/B Honor Roll. The Safe Havens are not duplicative After School sites. Their range of services is broader than those of After School locations. They have a higher concentration of at-risk youth. In addition to the activities supported by the Safe Haven sites, they also make available access to free dental and vision care, assistance with school supplies, college preparation assistance, new free clothing for school and play, drug and violence prevention programs, and more. With the large number of participants who report single parent households, incarcerated parents, family drug usage, and other negative influences, the multi- dimensional service approach of the Safe Haven program has successfirlly served many youth. Perhaps the greatest measure of the success of Safe Havens is that during the formulation of the new Weed & Seed application by the Near Southeast Community Development Corporation, no longer were there constant stories of children traumatized by gunfire, drive by shootings, and brothers and sisters lost to senseless murders. The desire for a new Safe Haven in this grant was to extend our successes and serve as a preventive measure, not to be a daily respite for runaway violence (this grant was unfortunately not funded). If you would like additional information or to arrange a site visit to one of the Safe Havens, please contact Police Chief Ralph Mendoza or Assistant City Manager Libby Watson. Oity Mana i ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS