NCJ Number
217791
Date Published
2006
Length
214 pages
Annotation
This book is a case study of the Arlanza Neighborhood Initiative a long-term youth violence prevention effort in the City of Riverside, CA, based on the asset-based community development model.
Abstract
The Arlanza Youth and Family Resource Center opened to the public in 2004, beginning its role as a tool for the development of social capital and collective effectiveness. The project, from the onset was intended to be long-term in nature in the area of youth violence prevention. The social delivery component serves to meet the immediate needs of the neighborhood. Under the 5-year implementation plan, one of the first goals for the center is to undertake a thorough inventory of the assets and capacities found in the Arlanza neighborhood. Another component of the center/intervention involves meeting the immediate needs found in the neighborhood. To that end, various social services will be available at the resource center. It is also noted that it is essential for any community-based intervention to have an evaluation component built into the intervention. This evaluation component of the Arlanza Neighborhood Initiative will be implemented and supervised. Implementing an intervention with a broad scope, such as this project carries many inherent challenges. In the case of the Arlanza Neighborhood Initiative, these challenges came in three areas: financial, political, and social. This book provides a detailed account of these challenges and the lessons learned from each. It acts as a trouble-shooting tool that can be tailored to the specific conditions present in another jurisdiction. It acts in the capacity as a tool for future applications. The information presented in this book in intended to serve to inform the formulation of public policy in the area of community-based youth violence prevention. Appendixes and references