News
Support Youth Safety Plan
NEWS RELEASE
November 29, 2017
Community Asked to Support Youth Safety Plan
With recent City Council approval of the grass-roots strategic plan to end youth violence, the next steps are to begin implementing assorted programs and other recommended actions though a communitywide approach.
The plan is designed to connect families with resources. To make that happen gradually, City staff is recruiting volunteers to work with youth towards making positive changes, staff is pursuing funding opportunities, and is collaborating with existing service providers to leverage existing resources and identify resource gaps.
The document, titled “Together for Youth and Families Strategic Plan” is posted on the City’s website at
www.cityofsantamaria.org/mayorstaskforce
. It is the product of six months of public forums and a review of data submitted by partners of the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Safety. The plan is modeled after successful approaches other California cities. The plan was adopted at the November 21, 2017 City Council meeting.
Contributors include local community-based organizations, schools, the faith-based community, elected officials, local law enforcement, and youth and families.
A Technical Resource Committee will be formed to provide viable programs and services. Members will to collaborate with existing service providers and leverage resources to develop partnerships in which to implement the vision and goals of the plan. Part of this process will be to identity gaps in services as the effort moves forward. A 211 directory of services will be developed to aid families in acquiring helpful resources.
The plan is based on a Framework for Action with three domains; Strategy; Governance; and Sustainability. The desirable outcomes associated with the plan include:
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Build on protective resiliency assets of the community, improve youth developmental assets and expand after school, evening, weekend, and summer programs.
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Reduce violent crime rates and youth violence as measured by Uniform Crime Reporting Program and Santa Maria gang-related incident reports.
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Align with other initiatives operating at the national, State, County, and local levels.
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Reduce the recidivism rate of youth and adults who participate in re-entry programs.
There are Strategic Goals associated with the plan for the “PIER” approach: Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement, and Re-Entry after incarceration.
There are nine implementation objectives to the plan including:
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Increase opportunities for youth to participate in the community.
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Early identification of youth needs with referrals to appropriate services.
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Increase awareness through enhanced communication among community stakeholders, including parents.
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Purposeful development of culturally competent trauma informed mental health and other services in a language accessible manner.
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Create a comprehensive plan to increase interagency service awareness.
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Create specialized team of law enforcement personnel to suppress gang activity.
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Create internal processes in the Santa Maria Police Department to accurately catalog and track gang related offenses. These are incidents where there is a reasonable suspicion that the individuals involved have been or are currently associated with criminal gang activity, or where the totality of the circumstances indicates that the case is consistent with criminal gang activity.
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Collaborate with partner agencies to share data and intelligence about repeat violent offenders.
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Reduce youth recidivism rates by providing a more prescriptive reentry plan linking families to services and community support.
Those who are interested in getting involved to make a positive difference in the life of a child or teen are asked to contact the Recreation and Parks Department at (805) 925-0951 extension 2269 or extension 2157.
Department: Recreation and Parks
Contact Person: Teresa Reyburn, Recreation Services Manager
Telephone Number: (805) 925-0951 ext. 2269
E-mail Address: treyburn@cityofsantamaria.org