Past Projects
Through collaboration with public and private partners, the Partnership For A Safer Cleveland has been able to promote best practices and effective violence prevention programs in the Greater Cleveland Area. The following is a list of exemplary programs:
Anti-Armed Robbery Campaign This print campaign utilized billboards and buses, especially during the holiday shopping season, and informed the public: "Use a gun to rob & you rob yourself. Mandatory 8 years in prison." Adopted around the state, this campaign was associated with a 30% reduction in armed robberies. Cuyahoga County Public Policy & Law Youth Forum In cooperation with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and the Cuyahoga County Family & Children First Council, the Partnership hosts an annual forum planned by and for Cuyahoga County youth, 13-18 years of age. At the forum, nearly 200 participants break into groups to discuss issues that are important to them and then reconvene to present their ideas to each other. Domestic Violence Protocol This protocol helps protect victims of domestic violence by encouraging police to arrest offenders as the first choice of action. It also empowers prosecutors and the courts to refuse to allow victims to dismiss charges (except in rare instances), which helps protect victims from further harm. Development of this protocol was coordinated by the Partnership, resulting in policies now being implemented by Cleveland police, city prosecutors and the municipal court. Foster Parent Training Presentations are provided for foster parents to help them deal with issues pertinent to foster children in their care. Training has been offered in areas concerning gang and violence prevention. Many foster children in Cuyahoga County have the misfortune of having one or both of their parents in prison. The Partnership has developed a curriculum to cover the effects this has on foster children and their foster parents and identifies approaches that will assist foster children in coping and managing their development into adulthood. Graffiti Reduction Graffiti is a recognized form of gang communication and advertising, and for the past three years, the Partnership has piloted a graffiti reduction project in Cleveland. Nuisance Abatement The Partnership established a coordinated effort to use an overlooked civil procedure known as "nuisance abatement". This procedure has been given new life in Cleveland and has been highly effective in significantly reducing illegal activities such as drug dealing and prostitution in Cleveland neighborhoods. Parent University A community resources expo with mini-workshops on health, parenting and personal advocacy. This daylong session provides an opportunity for parents, grandparents and community members to learn about resources in their community and find out more about child development, depression, gang prevention, nutrition and more. Children are welcome and are entertained by a circus club and storyteller while their parents attend the workshops. A healthy lunch is also provided. Police Mini-Stations & CMHA We knew that the city's highest crime area could be made safer and proved it through many years of working with public housing administrators and residents. Using crime analysis and community organizing, we uncovered the problems and found solutions, including the simpler things - better lighting, block watches, and youth activities - and the more difficult things - teaching businesses how to reduce crime and stay in or relocate to the community, researching the law to find statutes which allowed CMHA to evict dangerous tenants, and working with Cleveland Police to open the first mini-station in the nation. Prison Nursery Program The Partnership is on the committee that oversees the Achieving Baby Care Success (ABCS) program at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) in Marysville. Child development experts have determined that infants must bond with their mother in the first few months of life or their emotional and intellectual functioning is impaired. In June 2001, ORW opened Ohio's only nursery program within an institution. The ABCS program allows incarcerated pregnant inmates to maintain custody of their infants after they are born. Each participant has an individualized treatment plan so that the problems that resulted in her incarceration are thoroughly addressed. Hands-on parenting instruction is available for every mother in the program. Project Reform and Refurbish Through Project Reform and Refurbish, the Partnership and the Travick and Williams Community Group provide hands-on training in an array of fields, including electrical lighting, painting, plumbing and carpentry, ultimately setting young men on a positive path to success. In addition to these skills, they also learn the importance of responsibility, commitment, and leadership; significant values to keep them off the streets, out of trouble and moving toward a brighter and more purpose-filled future. Public Education Providing information directly to parents, teachers, social workers, police officers, and concerned neighborhood residents has made the prevention of youth violence a grassroots movement. Through trainings on gang awareness, parenting of foster children and working with troubled youth, Partnership staff has reached thousands of adults who touch children's lives every day. Teen Court The Partnership is involved with the Cleveland Youth Court Initiative planning committee as an advocate and catalyst for the Teen Court program. Teen Summit The Teen Summit is a collaboration among the Partnership, City of Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Municipal School District, and Boys & Girls Club of Greater Cleveland. The Teen Summit provides an opportunity for youth between the ages of 12-18 to hold open communication and dialogue with police officers and facilitators to talk about issues ranging from complicity, curfew, and what to do if an officer stops you. The Teen Summit can be replicated throughout the city. Youth Development Center The Partnership conducts a volunteer day at the Youth Development Center (YDC) involving the Cleveland Bar Association. The PSC purchased equipment for YDC, provided activities for youth and sponsored a legal clinic. The PSC continues with efforts to increase psychological services and assist with ongoing effective planning and programming to provide training to foster parents on youth development, gang prevention and youth culture. The Partnership also developed a curriculum to train foster parents of children whose biological parents are in prison to help them better deal with a difficult situation. Young Ladies & Gentlemen Clubs A school-based program which trains adult mentors to work with small groups of boys or girls has repeatedly proven through rigorous evaluation to have a significant effect on student behavior, attendance and grades. Mentors become as attached to their Club as the students, and both the schools and the families appreciate the difference this program makes for the children. Youth-Focused Police Training The Partnership provides training to enhance the ability of the Cleveland Division of Police to respond to the needs of Cleveland's youth & families. Training is provided to support the Cleveland Division of Police and the Cleveland Municipal Schools District's joint effort to prevent crime and violence in and around Cleveland schools. |
