Title
Receive a presentation from the Monterey County Health Department’s Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere (STRYVE) Program, the City of Salinas’ Community Safety Division and the Monterey County Administrative Office's (CAO) Office of Community Engagement and Strategic Advocacy to describe the strategies and results of their collaboration to prevent violence.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive a presentation from the Monterey County Health Department’s Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere (STRYVE) Program, the City of Salinas’ Community Safety Division and the Monterey County Administrative Office's (CAO) Office of Community Engagement and Strategic Advocacy to describe the strategies and results of their collaboration to prevent violence.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Health Department’s STRYVE program, City of Salinas Community Safety Division, the CAO’s Office of Community Engagement and Strategic Advocacy, as well as members of the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP) began a partnership thirteen years ago to reduce and prevent violence in Salinas. This partnership has been successful in its contribution to significant declines in violent crime.
In 2021, the Monterey County Health Department’s STRYVE program received a third, five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent youth violence and teen dating violence. STRYVE has been led by the Monterey County Health Officer as Project Director since 2011, has been coordinated by a public health educator, and has funded staff from the Planning, Evaluation and Policy (PEP) unit to provide evaluation and data support. CDC has funded several strategies over the last ten years in Salinas including a bullying prevention program, a healthy relationship program called “Safe Dates” in the five Salinas high schools, the expansion of Partners for Peace “Strengthening Families Program,” and “Crime Prevention through Environmental Design” (CPTED). CPTED is a community violence intervention that reduces the likelihood of crime by making changes to the environment, such as better lighting. As a member of the CASP coalition, STRYVE has led the Strategic Work Plan Committee and evaluated the impact of CASP on violence in Salinas and the County.
The City of Salinas Community Safety initiative is funded by the City of Salinas and Measure E to reduce violence. The initiative is led by the Community Safety Administrator, who is also the Director of CASP. Since its inception in 2008, CASP has been chaired by the Salinas Mayor and a member of the County Board of Supervisors. The coalition meets twice each month, featuring presentations and opportunities for members to network. CASP employs a collective impact approach to align the work of 45 agencies contributing to declines in violence. These agencies represent many different sectors including law enforcement, the faith community, schools, and youth serving agencies. A third draft of the Strategic Work Plan is nearing completion, containing the goals and objectives that CASP members address, as well as evaluation results. Community Safety Division staff consists of the Community Safety Program Coordinator, Street Outreach Specialists, the Neighborhood Services Coordinator, and an Office Assistant. The Division also hosts California State University Monterey Bay Community Health and Human Services students and AmeriCorps VISTA interns. The Division’s strategies to prevent violence include street outreach, the coordination of grantees funded by the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (Cal-VIP) grant and Community Leadership Academy programs for youth and adults.
The CAO’s Office of Community Engagement and Strategic Advocacy is led by a Management Analyst III and funded by the County. This initiative began in 2013 with an emphasis on addressing the underlying conditions and root causes of violence and focused on system and gang impacted youth. In 2015, the Board of Supervisors approved the Action Plan to Build Safe and Thriving Communities, which adopts a public health approach rooted in the implementation of Governing for Racial Equity (GRE) strategies that apply racial equity assessment tools to identify opportunities for systemic change that will foster youth and family growth and progress. The Coordinator of this effort is a founding member of CASP and a member of the Strategic Work Plan Committee. The Office of Community Engagement and Strategic Advocacy has worked with coalitions in the City of Seaside and North and South County regions, assisting their local efforts to prevent and reduce violence. Through this work this initiative has established and led the parallel GRE Initiative with community and County teams, assisted the City of Seaside and King City in the development of their strategic plans for violence prevention, assisted the City of Greenfield Police Department with implementing organizational and infrastructural support to increase community safety and crime prevention, and assisted the North Monterey County Community Alliance to develop strategies for College and Career Readiness.
Analysis of local data reveal progressive improvements in crime rates:
• The number of victims of violent assaults per 1,000 youth in Salinas has declined by 57% since 2009.
• The number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents has declined by 36% in both Salinas and the County since 2009.
• The number of homicides in Salinas has dramatically declined over the last five years from a high of 40 homicides in 2015 to a low of eight in 2020.
However, in 2020 the number of victims of violent assaults per 1.000 youth in Salinas increased by 13%, requiring all partners to increase their efforts to attempt to return the violent crime rate to pre-pandemic levels. All three partners agree that violence prevention efforts are working and that the public health approach to violence prevention should continue. Future success in reducing local crime rates will depend on ongoing support.
This work supports the Monterey County Health Department’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan Initiatives: 1. Empower the community to improve health through programs, policies, and activities; and 2. Enhance public health and safety through prevention. Additionally, this work supports three of the ten essential public health services: 1. Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems; 2. Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues; and 4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Monterey County Health Department’s STRYVE Program has collaborated with the City of Salinas’ Community Safety Division and the Monterey County Administrative Office's Office of Community Engagement and Strategic Advocacy, through the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP).
FINANCING:
The Health Department’s STRYVE Youth Violence Prevention Program is funded by the Centers for Control and Prevention (CDC) and received a new grant that began September 1, 2021 and ends in 2026.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
Check the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives:
☐Economic Development:
• Through collaboration, strengthen economic development to ensure a diversified and healthy economy.
☐Administration:
• Promote an organization that practices efficient and effective resource management and is recognized for responsiveness, strong customer orientation, accountability, and transparency.
☒Health & Human Services:
• Improve health and quality of life through County supported policies, programs, and services, promoting access to equitable opportunities for healthy choices and healthy environments in collaboration with communities.
☐Infrastructure:
• Plan and develop a sustainable, physical infrastructure that improves the quality of life for County residents and supports economic development results.
☒Public Safety:
• Create a safe environment for people to achieve their potential, leading businesses and communities to thrive and grow by reducing violent crimes as well as crimes in general.
Prepared by: Linda McGlone, Senior Health Educator,755-4619
Approved by:
______________________________Date:____________
Elsa Mendoza Jimenez, Director of Health, 755-4526
Attachment:
PowerPoint Presentation