Charlotte City Council voted Monday to spend $1.3 million to expand a violent-crime prevention program in the city’s “corridors of opportunity.”
The Alternatives to Violence (ATV) program was started in December 2021 to help curb youth violence in the Beatties Ford Road corridor. The program has since been extended to other parts of the city where crime and poverty are prevalent.
In addition to interventions, the program offers support with housing, employment and addressing trauma, targeting residents aged 14 to 25 who have been identified as being most at risk of violence.
Why it matters: Cities nationwide have seen an uptick in juvenile crime. According to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, overall crime in Charlotte increased by 7% in the first quarter of 2023, with juveniles cited as significant contributors.
Leondra Garrett, who coordinates the ATV program in the Beatties Ford Road corridor, said her site has mediated more than 150 violent situations and passed 30 participants through the ATV program.
Under a one-year contract extension with the city, Youth Advocate Programs Inc., a national organization that manages the Beatties Ford location, will get $897,537 to provide services there and at a second location.
Urban League of Central Carolinas will receive $450,000 to manage a site in the Nations Ford Road corridor.
City officials are planning to fund a similar site in the West Boulevard area near Remount Road.
In total, Charlotte officials have identified six “corridors of opportunity” that are in line for special programs and funding.
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