Anti-gang grant appears unlikely for Youngstown

The school-based program is a classroom curriculum instructed by an officer.

Staff Report

YOUNGSTOWN — The city hasn’t received official notice that the Gang Resistance Education and Training program grant has been denied to Youngstown, said Mayor Jay Williams.

It appears that no grant is the case for the city, however, according to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, which administers the program.

The city had an application in for a GREAT grant of $71,360 with a local contribution of $7,928 for the 2008-09 school year.

BJA has a list of cities throughout the country that have received a 2008 grant for the GREAT program, and Youngstown isn’t on the list.

The program is a school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curriculum to promote proper behavior.

Lessons help pupils avoid delinquent behavior and focus on solving problems without violence.

In August 2007, the city was awarded a GREAT grant of $66,761 for use in the 2007-08 school year, with a local contribution of $7,418, records show, but the city chose not to use the funds.

“The city made a conscious decision to defer the grants,” said Williams, due to the city’s financial situations last year.

If the city has not received a GREAT grant award for this school year, plans will still move forward to work with schools to create anti-gang programs and awareness, Williams said.

“We are still in a position to use other grants for the same cause,” he said.

Police Chief Jimmy Hughes would be directed to seek other similar grants for the same types of educational programs, if the GREAT grant is a definite no for Youngstown, the mayor said.