About StreetSafe Boston

StreetSafe Boston isa multi-year youth development and safety initiative designed to dramatically reduce youth violence in a subset of Boston neighborhoods disproportionately and persistently affected by high rates of violent crime.

THE STREETSAFE BOSTON THEORY OF CHANGE:
The Ripple Effect

A small number of young people play a significant role in driving the vast majority of violence in the five StreetSafe Boston focus communities. Effective street level intervention is the key to connecting this chronically isolated proven-risk youth population to much needed programs and services. Enabling access for this proven-risk population to pro-social pathways that make participation in violent criminal behavior less attractive will lead to a reduction in youth violence in the focus neighborhoods and consequentially, a positive systemic impact on outcomes for all youth by eliminating fear of violence that has impeded access to existing programs and services.

TWO CORE STRATEGIES:

1. Street Level Gang Intervention – Develop and deploy a highly trained and supported cadre of StreetSafe Boston Streetworkers with street credibility who can establish relationships with proven-risk youth to intervene in cycles of violence, resolve conflicts, and connect youth to needed services in coordination with existing City and Faith Based Streetworkers and Youth Outreach Workers.

2. Neighborhood Based Service Delivery - A multiple-agency neighborhood-based strategy to provide vital alternative programming and social services for proven-risk youth in the following categories: workforce, education, legal services, housing services, family services, re-entry, mental health services and recreation.  (Learn more about StreetSafe Boston Lead Partners and Community Partners.)

INITIATIVE GOALS:

In the five focus communities:

1. Substantially reduce the incidence of violent gang behavior among proven-risk youth:

• Substantially reduce the number of gang related homicides per gang and per neighborhood
• Substantially reduce the incidents of gang related violent crime (defined as shootings, aggravated assaults and other “Part I” crimes) per gang and per neighborhood

2. Substantially increase the number of proven-risk youth that are accessing positive programs, services and activities:

• Substantially increase the number of proven-risk youth who are actively engaged in educational or career attainment
• Substantially increase the number of proven-risk youth who are connected to streetworkers

3. Substantially improve the perception of safety in the five focus communities and city wide.