[Archived] City of Alexandria Receives Federal Funding for Gang Prevention

October 27, 2009

News Highlights:

• The City of Alexandria received $250,000 to support gang prevention programs
• Grant will support expansion of gang prevention and intervention programs

The City of Alexandria received a grant for $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to continue its proactive response to prevent youth gang involvement in the community. The City will use this funding to enhance initiatives that mitigate the risk factors of gang membership and activity, help youth who are at risk of gang involvement, and provide assistance to those who are involved in a gang so they can end their membership. The City will also educate family and community members about the indicators of gang involvement to enable early intervention and prevention.

In order to minimize and curtail gang activity in the community, prevention and intervention efforts must be vigilant. The City will continue to address gang problems by funding the following initiatives through this grant:

• Coordinate an annual Regional Gang Prevention Conference to educate professionals and others on the gang trends in the area and inform them about resources available for youth referrals;
• Expand the regional Gang Prevention Public Service Announcement to include additional community messaging and educational materials;
• Support a Regional Tattoo Removal Program to assist those committed to ending their gang involvement; 
• Expand Green Apprenticeship job-training through the Alexandria Seaport Foundation;
• Maintain the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership to increase the number of mentors within the City by 50% in one year;
• Hire an outreach worker for identified elementary school youth and their families who may need assistance to connect to resources that engage them in school and positive extracurricular activities.

Alexandria’s Gang Prevention Community Task Force, co-chaired by Mayor William D. Euille and Councilman Rob Krupicka, was established in 2004 and works in partnership with the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, consisting of five jurisdictions. For more information, contact Mike Mackey, Alexandria’s Gang Prevention & Intervention Coordinator, at 703.746.4496 or e-mail mike.mackey@alexandriava.gov. Visit www.alexandriava.gov/gangprevention or www.preventgangsnova.org for details about local gang prevention programs.