Safe Streets Campaign

IN 1989 COMMUNITY LEADERS CALLED A PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE EXTREME GANG-RELATED VIOLENCE IN PIERCE COUNTY. APPROXIMATELY 200 PEOPLE WERE EXPECTED TO ATTEND, BUT MORE THAN 2,000 FLOODED INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM THAT NIGHT. FROM THIS GATHERING, SAFE STREETS EMERGED AS A GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE TO EMPOWER NEIGHBORS TO UNITE AGAINST CRIME. IN THE INTERVENING 32 YEARS, SAFE STREETS HAS ORGANIZED, TRAINED AND MOBILIZED A NETWORK OF OVER 125 NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS IN HIGH-RISK AREAS, EMPOWERING MORE THAN 13,500 COMMUNITY LEADERS AND 190,000 RESIDENTS TO ENSURE THAT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SCHOOLS ARE SAFE. IN RESPONSE TO EVOLVING COMMUNITY NEEDS, OUR WORK IS INCREASINGLY FOCUSED ON 1) CREATING SAFE, POSITIVE, AND INCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOODS AND ENVIRONMENTS WHERE CHILDREN AND YOUTH CAN THRIVE; AND 2) ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME TOMORROW'S CIVIC LEADERS.

COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION-COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION HAS ORGANIZED MANY NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO TAKE ACTION TO STOP CRIME AND VIOLENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT. THIS WORK HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PRESENTATIONS, AND BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS FOR A SAFE, HEALTHY AND THRIVING COMMUNITY. IN 2021, WE MAINTAINED OVER 77 NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS INVOLVING OVER 557 UNDUPLICATED GROUP MEMBERS. ALL PROGRAM SERVICES ARE OPEN TO ALL AT NO CHARGE. WE HAVE ADDED WASTE WIZARDS (LITTER CLEANUP AND BEAUTIFICATION) PROGRAM TO OUR MENU OF SERVICES. SAFE STREETS HAS PARTNERSHIPS WITH CITY OF TACOMA, PIERCE COUNTY, TACOMA SCHOOL DISTRICT, FRANKLIN PIERCE SCHOOL DISTRICT, CITY OF TACOMA POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THE PIERCE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH MULTIPLE COALITIONS THROUGHOUT PIERCE COUNTY. SAFE STREETS HAS ALSO DEVELOPED A WHOLE NEIGHBORHOODS INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS IN PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING OF FUNDS TO CREATE PROJECTS THAT ALIGN WITH CREATING SAFE AND WELCOMING SPACES FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES.

YOUTH LEADING CHANGE-YOUTH LEADING CHANGE (YLC) IS A FREE, OUT-OF-SCHOOL EXPANDED LEARNING PROGRAM AVAILABLE TO ANY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH IN PIERCE COUNTY. YOUTH EXPLORE CAREERS, BUILD LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING SKILLS AND IMPLEMENT YOUTH-LED PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THEIR SCHOOL AND LARGER COMMUNITIES. YLC STRENGTHENS PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR YOUTH PARTICIPANTS, AN EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGY THAT PREVENTS VIOLENCE, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER. THE YLC PROGRAM IS ACTIVE IN THE FRANKLIN PIERCE AND TACOMA SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH STUDENTS FROM FIVE HIGH SCHOOLS AND TWO MIDDLE SCHOOLS. SAFE STREETS CONTINUES TO UTILIZE THE COMMUNITY BASED YLC CHAPTER (ONE FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND ONE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL) AND REACH OUT TO YOUTH THAT MAY NOT ATTEND THE SCHOOLS WHERE THE PROGRAM IS OFFERED. THESE YOUTH RECEIVE THE SAME MENTORSHIP, TRAINING, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS AND TRAINING AND ARE INCLUDED IN ALL OTHER SERVICE PROJECTS AND BONDING ACTIVITIES. THE YLC PROGRAM HOLDS QUARTERLY TRAININGS, ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES AND AN ANNUAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY DURING THE SUMMER AS WELL OTHER ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS THAT PROMOTE PRO SOCIAL AND SAFE AND DRUG FREE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. IN 2021, YLC ENGAGED 91 YOUTH ACROSS TACOMA AND UNINCORPORATED PIERCE COUNTY.

YOUTH SERVING AGENCIES NETWORK (YSAN) AND IMAGINE JUSTICE PROJECT SAFE STREETS HAS COORDINATED AND LED YSAN FOR SEVERAL YEARS AS PART OF THE PREVIOUS FAMILY, YOUTH, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH & EDUCATION STRATEGY (FYCOES) PROGRAM. THE FUNDING FOR FYCOES EXPIRED AND WE CONTINUED TO SUPPORT YSAN. RECENTLY, SAFE STREETS RECEIVED AN AMERICORPS PLANNING GRANT TO DEVELOP A PROJECT TO SUPPORT THE NETWORK. THE IMAGINE JUSTICE PROJECT WAS CODESIGNED BY A COLLABORATIVE OF YOUTH-SERVING AGENCIES ACROSS PIERCE COUNTY WHO PRIMARILY SERVE BIPOC, LOW-INCOME, AND RURAL YOUTH WHO ARE CURRENTLY CONNECTED OR AT HIGH-RISK OF BECOMING CONNECTED TO THE JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM. THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE MEMBERS OF THE EXISTING YOUTH-SERVING AGENCIES NETWORK (YSAN) THAT IS WORKING ON BUILDING COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION ACROSS YOUTH-SERVING AGENCIES TO MAXIMIZE OUR POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOUNG PEOPLE. THE IMAGINE JUSTICE PROJECT SEEKS TO ADVANCE POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION.