Washington, D.C. - United States Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today announced a grant for the Montgomery and Prince George’s County Gang Prevention Initiative from the Department of Justice, as part of his ongoing effort to secure federal funding for anti-gang activity.
This $364,596 grant will provide funding for the Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center to implement gang prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies, including intake and assessment, referral assistance, education, and remedial service, workforce preparation, mental health and substance abuse counseling.
In September, 2004, Congressman Van Hollen convened a meeting with officials from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), including OJJDP Administrator Robert Flores, to seek a discretionary, non-competitive grant out of unspent funds to address the growing gang problem in suburban Maryland. As a follow-up to that meeting, in March, 2005, Congressman Van Hollen worked with county officials to ensure that their application for support from OJJDP on the joint Montgomery-Prince George’s County Gang Prevention Initiative project at the Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center was complete and appropriately reviewed. Today, OJJDP notified Congressman Van Hollen that it has been able to fund the Joint County Gang Prevention Initiative’s Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center project through a discretionary, non-competitive grant out of unspent funds from FY 2004.
“I am pleased to have worked with Administrator Flores, OJJDP officials, and the Bi-County Task Force to secure this funding,” said Van Hollen. “This initiative is a vital part of combating the problem of gang violence and making sure that young people understand that gang life is not the road to success, but rather the path to prison. It is important that we provide our community leaders with the support they need to keep our youth safe from gangs.”
This program will be evaluated by the University of Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.