Birmingham Expands Youth Violence Prevention Program with $2 Million Federal Grant

The City Council of Birmingham has officially voted in favor of utilizing a nearly $2 million federal grant to broaden a local violence prevention initiative. A significant portion of the funds, obtained through a Department of Justice grant, will be directed to the Jefferson County Family Resource Center (JCFRC). The objective is to widen the age range for its RESTORE program, which delivers mental health and case management resources to Birmingham’s young people.

At present, the RESTORE program predominantly caters to a demographic aged between 15 and 19 years. However, the newly approved funds will permit authorities to extend the program to include children as young as 11 years old.

The Impact of RESTORE

Carrie Buntain, Executive Director of JCFRC and a previous Alabama Assistant Attorney General, expressed to the council that the RESTORE program—Reduce, Educate, Support, Train, Organize, Realize, Empower—recently celebrated its first year of operation. In this period, the initiative has effectively served over 700 young individuals via its series of workshops.

Describing the benefits of broadening program access, Buntain noted, “We opened up the workshops to younger individuals and probably about 20-to-25 percent of our participants are now in this younger age range.” She also mentioned the effectiveness of recent assessments with 21 children, ages 11 to 15, from seven housing communities, which were carried out in collaboration with Housing Authority Birmingham Division (HABD) and Birmingham Police Department (BPD).

The JCFRC plays an integral role in offering intake, assessments, and case planning, working closely with families to combat the challenges presented by financial insecurity, housing instability, or mental health issues.

The Importance of Focusing on At-Risk Youth

Darrell O’Quinn, City Council President, stated that the program specifically targets an important demographic; those at the highest risk of becoming involved in violent crime. He cited alarming data emphasizing the urgent need for intervention, “the best statistics show that these at-risk youth are likely to either commit murder or be murdered at a rate of around 80 percent”.

The expansion of RESTORE is seen as a crucial step towards addressing these alarming statistics. Councilor Crystal Smitherman outlined the importance of this move, stating, “It’s not just policing and dealing with crime because the police are there to react. We also have to perform prevention and intervention.”

Approximately $1.1 million of the grant will be appointed to RESTORE. According to city officials, the remaining funds will be distributed among other agencies involved in the initiative and to the project coordinator.