The City of Cleveland plans to create a Youth Crime Prevention and Reduction Department with some of the revenues from the income-ax increase voters passed last month. Details of the effort came today during a budget briefing before Cleveland City Council.
The plan is to spend $70,000 for a chief, an assistant chief and a team of analysts and youth-service professionals to address Cleveland’s youth-violence problem. The city has been working on a comprehensive prevention plan since 2014.
Cleveland Housing Network Chief Operating Officer Patrick Kenney says it will help his organization, which works with youth as well as finding housing for families.
“I think it complements everything we’re doing by really focusing on opportunities and making sure that young adults don’t get really kind of lost in the sauce and have an opportunity for failure. And rather really focusing on chances for succeeding.”
The Cleveland income tax increase will also be used to hire more police officers and other service improvements. None of the enhancements will begin until the new budget is approved next March.
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