Posted: Thursday, June 14, 2007
The independent Wilmington HOPE Commission moved forward today on a number of its nine goals by designating the Southbridge Community in South Wilmington as the first HOPE Zone in the City. Hope Commission Executive Director Provey Powell Jr. received support for today’s announcement by members of the HOPE Commission, community representatives, Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker and Lt. Governor John C. Carney, among others.
HOPE Zones involve the implementation of a comprehensive and coordinated community-based and supported approach to improve and strengthen the lives of people and transform the physical condition of the community. The HOPE Commission’s goal is to develop elements of the initial HOPE Zone and apply successful elements to future HOPE Zones in other areas of the City.
The HOPE Commission was originally assembled in June of 2005 by Mayor Baker to identify, review, and act on the social and community issues related to instances of crime and/or violence occurring in areas of the City. The original Commission issued nine recommendations in March of 2006. A new independent HOPE Commission was formed in November of 2006 to implement the original nine recommendations.
- Executive Director Powell said today the Southbridge HOPE Zone includes strategies, programs or services to:
- Create employment for those who have historically found it difficult to find work;
- Transition those currently in the prison system to reenter the community into positive activities and lifestyles; • Support families in crisis or turmoil;
- Strengthen support services for young people in the community;
- Improve public safety; and Improve the physical appearance of the community through business and housing development, and beautification.
HOPE Commission Co-Chair Mike Purzycki today provided additional information about the elements of the Southbridge Hope Zone, the implementation of which has already begun. He noted that certain elements of the HOPE Zone for Southbridge will also benefit other citizens and areas of the City. The Co-Chair said all of the elements of the first zone will be managed by a HOPE Zone Program Coordinator who is still to be hired. The HOPE Zone elements include:
Summer Youth Employment
The HOPE Commission will fund 200 additional summer youth employment positions this year through corporate contributions. This number is in addition to the approximately 650 summer youth jobs already authorized by Mayor Baker and Wilmington City Council as provided through the City Department of Parks and Recreation. The summer youth employment program begins on June 25 and concludes on August 3. The 850 summer youth jobs for this summer are the most ever offered and funded in the City’s history.
Safe Havens The HOPE
Commission is seeking to identify five ‘Safe Havens’ in the City of Wilmington, with one of those Safe Haven facilities being established in the Southbridge area. The HOPE Commission will provide funding for extended hours at various community centers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The funding will support educational, recreational and technology training services for youths. The goal of the Safe Haven is to ensure that youths are safe from violence, and offered positive environments and alternatives to the streets. Safe Havens are being designed for youth ages 10 to 18 years old and will be funded this summer from July 5 through August 31.
HOPE Outreach Workers
The HOPE Outreach Worker Initiative involves prevention and intervention services to help reduce the incidence of youth crime and child victimization, and improve access to services and programs that support positive youth development. One Outreach Worker would be assigned to the Southbridge HOPE Zone. This person will among other things, help residents make connections to resources that are either already established or to be established, and be responsible for developing appropriate interventions and linkages with agencies such as the Wilmington Police Department, Parks and Recreation Department, the State Divisions of Youth Rehabilitative Services and Family Services, and area schools. Workers will provide immediate crisis counseling and referral services (e.g. drugs and alcohol, family counseling, educational assistance, etc.) to youth and families in crises and ‘street outreach’ to engage youth and families and connect them to constructive neighborhood and City activities, programs or services. The Outreach Workers will also assist with the establishment of Youth Councils.
Employment
A pilot employment program will be established for residents in the Southbridge HOPE Zone. Drawing upon the interest, energy and goodwill of the business community, the Commission will seek out new employment opportunities for residents and focus attention on the placement of residents into work positions that match their skill and ability. The Commission seeks also to develop a continual data base of available positions so residents can find employment quickly. In developing an employment model for Southbridge, HOPE Commission members explored employment opportunities that could flow from programs such as the Preparatory Apprentice Instruction and Development Program (PAID), that is currently operating at the Neighborhood House on “B” Street through the sponsorship of local unions and developers.
Adult Re-Entry
The HOPE Commission plans to establish a comprehensive transition program for person incarcerated in Delaware and about to be released back into the community. Under the program, persons incarcerated would formulate a Plan for Release. After release, the program would assist the inmate in locating housing, offer resources in job searches, identify modes of transportation once work has been secured, and provides a support group for ex-prisoners. The program would also offer mentoring by pairing newly released prisoners with older ex-prisoners who have successfully made the transition to the community. Faith-based organizations in the Southbridge HOPE Zone will be involved in the planning and implementation of this program.
Juvenile Justice Community Services Enhanced Probation Team
This is an enhanced probation team initiative modeled after the successful Comprehensive Aftercare Program (CAP) operated by the State Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services. The long range impact of the Enhanced Probation Team is to reduce recidivism for youths, thereby reducing the need to provide more services in subsequent years. Youths targeted for the program are those who have left residential placement and are identified as either moderate or intensive-level, based on projected aftercare needs. The HOPE Commission’s goals for this program include a reduction in the number of these youth who are re-arrested and placed outside of their home and conversely, an increase in the number of youth who remain living at home.
Support for Families
The HOPE Commission will provide funding for the hiring of a Family Crisis Therapist for the Southbridge HOPE Zone to provide a range of interventions that would remove barriers to social and academic success. The program will focus on enhancing collaboration among state agencies and communities to meet the needs of participating children and their families. The Family Crisis Therapist will intervene in family crisis situations by providing on-going clinical assessment and treatment, assessing progress, and recommending appropriate strategies for continual functional improvement within the family.
Children and Family Health
Nemours Health & Prevention Services, a local organization dedicated to children’s health promotion, will join the HOPE Commission in the newly designated HOPE Zone in assisting South Wilmington non-profit organizations with efforts to promote healthy child development. This collaboration will build upon the existing services for children in South Wilmington and will focus specifically on increasing access to healthy foods and physical activities as part of Nemours’ statewide effort to combat childhood obesity. In addition, the State Division of Public Health will arrange for home visits in Southbridge to provide screening for health issues such as obesity, high cholesterol, smoking cessation, blood pressure concerns, as well as chronic illnesses. The Division will also make arrangements for follow-up appointments, referrals, transportation, and other services to address health concerns and educating uninsured residents that the first year of cancer treatment is paid for by the state.
Substance Abuse
The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health will conduct screening and outreach for health issues such as depression, other mental illnesses, and substance abuse. Appropriate information and referral will be made available for HOPE Zone residents. The HOPE Zone will also support and partner with existing initiatives that include, but are not limited to, the Brandywine Counseling Needle Exchange Program, the Beautiful Gate HIV/AIDS Prevention Program and Each One, Teach One.
Community Development
To promote new housing opportunities, both rental and homeownership, the HOPE Commission will partner with organizations and agencies that are involved in housing initiatives in Southbridge including, but not limited to, the Wilmington Housing Authority, Interfaith Community Housing of Delaware, Inc., and the Wilmington Housing Partnership. The HOPE Commission will help to facilitate planned construction projects, community signage installation, facade and beautification projects. The Commission will also work with financial institutions as part of the FDIC’s Alliance for Economic Inclusion to expand banking and financial services to residents, as well as help residents obtain loans to improve the interior of their homes.
Community Policing and Prosecution
The Hope Commission efforts are being supported by the Wilmington Police Department’s community policing philosophy which supports frequent interaction between officers and community members and neighborhood residents to discuss and resolve public safety issues. The Criminal Justice Council has committed to facilitate the deployment of Operation Safe Streets in the Southbridge HOPE Zone as a part of enhanced police presence. The Southbridge Community has expressed its willingness to proactively engage in cooperative policing initiatives to develop and maintain a positive working relationship with the police. Neighborhood leaders will work with the police officers to identify and solve critical problems impeding public safety. The HOPE Commission will join the community to ensure commitments between the community and the Wilmington Police Department are initiated, executed and maintained. Attorney General Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III has agreed to establish a pilot program to assign a team of prosecutors to the Southbridge neighborhood where they will concentrate on prosecuting criminal cases targeting the “worst” offenders in the HOPE Zone. This effort depends upon a strong community policing component. The elements of the community prosecution plan involve specially designated Deputy Attorneys General who will work with the police in the selected specific neighborhoods on a three-pronged approach to reducing crime. The three prongs are: (1) working with community police officers on a daily basis so that the deputy attorneys general can provide legal assistance in investigations and provide vertical prosecution (i.e., the designated deputy attorneys general providing the prosecution work on the case from start to finish) efforts from the time of arrest; (2) identifying, with the community policing units, neighborhood-specific crime problems that impact the safety, welfare, and quality of life of those who live in the neighborhoods, and prosecuting these crimes; and (3) using civil remedies for nuisance abatement.
The HOPE Commission’s Board of Directors is bringing together various organizations and community members to create a WILMINGTON PLAN to address the social, educational, and economic factors that feed issues of crime in the City of Wilmington. For more information on the HOPE Commission, please call (302) 573-3735 or visit the Commission website at www.wilmingtonhopecommission.org
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