Portland observer., October 19, 2011, Page 8, Image 8

¡Portiani» (Dhserurr
Page 8
’We carry your heart in our hands, with compassion and care"
O ctober 19, 2011
Money Runs Out for
Gang Prevention
of being out at schools and edu­
cating families and supporting
this year within the city.
youth from becoming involved in
The five-year $4.5 million gangs, it is now, do you have a
gran t th at was aw arded to family member involved in a gang,
Multnomah County's D epart­ incarcerated, or on probation—if
ment of Public Health is part of so, we will provide services to
the Striving to Reduce Youth you.”
V iolence E veryw here grant,
“We have gone from preven­
which will provide the county tion to intervention, and there
with $225,000 per year for five- needs to be both,” she said.
years to lead a number of groups
In the past, youth who had
to come up with new programs the potential to be involved in a
to prevent youth violence within gang were referred to a program
high-risk communities in north such as House of Umoja, which’
and northeast Portland.
would make sure they had safe
The grant funds are supposed places to live, and their families
to increase youth services were getting the support that
throughout the county, but sup­ they needed.
porters of House of Umoja and
She said there was a priority on
other community activists and building cultural pride to offset a
youth mentors are asking, what belief that African-Americans,
about the successful programs through the contact with other
that already exist? .
cultures, had lost a sense of pride.
Tina Glover, former program di­
Glover called changes from
rector of the House of Umoja’s prevention to intervention reac­
culturally-specific intervention tionary, like fixing a wound by
services, believes the more help putting a band aid on it without
that exists for youth within the cleaning the injury first.
community the better. But she
“Unless we can come at the
said, however, there’s been a shift issue from all directions—even­
in how people are addressing gang tually it will get infected again,”
culture in the past couple of years. she said. “Yes, there is a need for
Glover said when youth are di­ prevention services. And yes,
verted to other programs it doesn’t there is a need for intervention
factor in the lost cultural support like there is a need for outreach.
the House of Umoja was able to But the three need to co-exist.”
provide.
Butler agreed.
“In February I was informed
“What we do is work with kids
the contract would be changing on the streets,” he said. “The clos­
from more prevention to interven­ ing down of House of Umoja is a
tion services,” she said. “Instead travesty for the community.”
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