The City of Tacoma was awarded a $105,000 grant from the Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice to pilot a gang reduction and intervention program.

Through an established memorandum of understanding, the City plans to assign these funds to four community partner organizations that specialize in individual, family or peer services so they can assist with the pilot program. The organizations include the Northwest Leadership Foundation, Bold Solutions, Fab5 and the Tacoma Urban League.

“I was so pleased to hear that we got this grant funding,” said Tacoma City Councilmember Victoria Woodards, who chairs the Tacoma Gang Reduction and Intervention Program Executive Steering Committee and led the 2011 gang assessment conducted to improve the City’s efforts to undercut gang growth and highlight positive alternatives to for local youth. “With this important investment in Tacoma’s future, we can continue to move forward in our efforts to turn the tide.”

City staff will lead program efforts to receive and evaluate assessments from concerned citizens and a variety of local agencies, including Tacoma Public Schools, the Tacoma Police Department and Pierce County Juvenile Court to engage these four community partner organizations for further action.