Governor’s Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) Initiative 2008/09 Award List and Project Summaries

On January 30, 2009, grants were awarded to 11 organizations under the Governor’s 2008/09 CalGRIP Solicitation. Project descriptions, award amount, and contact information are listed below.

Award List

Awardees	County	WIA 15 Percent Amount
Able-Disabled Advocacy, Inc.	San Diego	$500,000
Foothill Employment and Training Consortium	Los Angeles	$500,000
Fresno County	Fresno	$475,000
Los Angeles Community College District	Los Angeles	$500,000
Los Angeles Conservation Corps	Los Angeles	$500,000
Monterey County	Monterey	$500,000
Oakland Private Industry Council	Alameda	$499,700
Sacramento Employment Training Agency	Sacramento	$500,000
San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council Training	San Diego	$500,000
San Jose Conservation Corp	Santa Clara	$500,000
SELACO Workforce Investment Board	Los Angeles	$500,000
TOTAL		$5,474,700

Able-Disabled Advocacy, Inc.
4283 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA  92105

Elaine Cooluris
(619) 231-5990

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  Able-Disabled Advocacy will partner with the Local Workforce Investment Area, San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego Unified School District, Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, the county Gang Suppression Unit and South County Career Center to deliver a comprehensive continuum of education, work-based learning and support to gang-affiliated youth 14-24 residing in the City of San Diego. Services include extensive personal, financial and career counseling, mentoring and universal access. Of the 64 enrolled over the 24 month period, 32 will be Younger Youth and 32 Older Youth. Of those, 30 will be Placed; 33 will Attain Credentials; 40 will achieve Literacy/Numeracy Gains.

Foothill Employment and Training Consortium
1207 East Green Street
Pasadena, CA  91106

Dianne Russell-Carter
(626) 584-8393

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  Project Esteem deploys a comprehensive and aggressive, employment focused program that breaks the cycle of gang involvement for 75 youth between the ages of 16-21. Project Esteem brings together 15 partner organizations including education, juvenile justice, and gang intervention groups to provide the specialized services to participants, even after they are employed. Project Esteem is modular based, allowing a customized career program for each participant and has a history of demonstrated success. The profound rise in gang related violence and deaths in the communities to be served, necessitates this team approach for moving youth from gangs to jobs. Project Esteem focuses on preparing program participants for careers in: healthcare, hospitality and tourism, automotive technology, retail, education, public service, construction, and the restaurant industry.

Fresno County
200 Fresno Street, Suite 200
Fresno, CA  93721

Pamela Lassetter
(559) 490-7132

Award Amount:  $475,000

Summary:  Under the direction of the Fresno County Workforce Investment Board (FCWIB), Fresno County eligible 14-24 year olds who are involved in a gang or are at-risk of being involved in a gang can enroll in the Choice to Change Program. Up to 125 youth will be referred to the FCWIB Choice to Change Gang Intervention Program. The choice to Change Program is effective in its approach and will ensure that gang youth get out of the gang lifestyle and meet the final goal of obtaining a full time job or entering post secondary education.

Los Angeles Community College District
770 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA  90017

Marvin Martinez
(213) 891-2000

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  The Los Angeles Bridge Pathway (LABP) will target 50 gang involved/at risk youth living within three LA City Gang Reduction and Youth Development Zones. LABP will place youth in a 250-hour academic bridge program at Los Angeles City College, which will include intensive English and math remediation. LABP will provide wrap around social services in the form of counseling and case management. Graduates will be placed in jobs in the after-school work-force earning approximately $10,000 a year and will have direct access to existing career pathways in the energy, teaching, and utility sectors, earning approximately $60,000 annually.

Los Angeles Conservation Corps
P.O. Box 15868
Los Angeles, CA  90015

Phil Matero
(213) 747-1872

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  The LA Conservation Corps’ CalGRIP Program will address the needs of youth who are current gang members, gang-involved or at-risk of gang involvement by providing a holistic approach to meeting their employment, education and personal needs. The Corps will provide paid work experience and training, a high school education program to obtain their high school diploma, and supportive services to overcome the many barriers these youth face in becoming productive, self-sufficient members of our community. The Program will enroll 100 youth from the South LA and Pico-Union areas of Los Angeles in an effort to reduce, intervene, and prevent gang activity.

Monterey County
730 La Guardia Street
Salinas, CA 93905

Lynda Dunn
(831) 796-3330

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  The Monterey County Targeted Employment project serves 100 youth who are at risk for gang involvement, gang-involved or gang members, and are 18-24 year old. The need to provide a continuum of services from successful local programs that serve youth until their 18th birthday will be answered by our collaboration. Turning Point of the Central Coast, the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus - Salinas Youth Corps, Salinas Adult School, Monterey County Behavioral Health and Probation Department, and local employers will support participants’ academic and employment achievement and opportunities. Employment opportunities reduce gang involvement, crime and violence so that communities and individuals thrive.

Oakland Private Industry Council
1212 Broadway, Suite 300
Oakland, CA  94612

Charles H. Turner
(510) 768-4485

Award Amount:  $499,700

Summary:  The l-80 Opportunity Corridor Program will provide comprehensive educational, employment, case management, and wraparound services to 140 youth along the Interstate 80 corridor in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Focus will be on gang-impacted communities of West Oakland, South and West Berkeley, and Emeryville in Alameda County, and North and Central Richmond in Contra Costa County. The Oakland Private Industry Council (Oakland PIC), the Scotlan Youth and Family Center, Berkeley Youth Alternatives (BYA),and Richmond Works will be the "anchor partners", joined by Probation, the Oakland Unified School District, Healthy Oakland, the Mentoring Center, and Contra Costa and Peralta Community College Districts. Case managers will work with participants to help them on an educational and job training path focused on high growth, high wage jobs, such as construction and building trades, green jobs, allied health and human services, and automotive technology.

Sacramento Employment Training Agency
925 Del Paso Boulevard
Sacramento, CA  95818

Robin Purdy
(916) 263-3860

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  The Sacramento Employment and Training Agency will coordinate the Sacramento Works CalGRIP program to serve 100 youth involved in gangs or at-risk of gang involvement. The Sacramento CalGRIP program will partner with the City and County of Sacramento, police, parole and probation departments, community-based organizations and local congregations to address the gang issue in Sacramento County. The program will provide the target youth with employment, academic and social services to direct them towards a positive lifestyle. By developing linkages and having access to resources in the community, the at-risk youth will have increased academic, vocational and employment success.

San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council Training
4305 University Avenue, Suite 340
San Diego, CA  92105

Sherry Rednour
(619) 283-5411

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  The Gang Reduction Education And Training project will serve 70 youth at risk of gang involvement focusing in the geographic areas in San Diego that are most intensely associated with gang activity. The Labor Council will provide employer contextualized pre-employment soft skills and hard skills training. Youth will receive individualized case management to ensure their needs are addressed. The Labor Council will collaborate with a number of key agencies to provide not only job training but a holistic approach to serving the at risk youth. Stipends and other incentives are built into this project to further support the youth in their pursuit of self-sufficiency. Employment opportunities in the fields of advanced manufacturing (shipbuilding) and hospitality with wages ranging from $9.50/hr to $27.67/hr.

San Jose Conservation Corp
2650-A Senter Road
San Jose, CA  95111

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  Youth and young adults in Santa Clara County, a High Intensity Gang Activity Area, who are gang members, gang involved, at-risk of gang involvement and who because of their social, academic and economic disadvantages are at-risk of leading a life of crime, being unemployed and incarcerated, need a program that changes their lives. San Jose Conservation Corp (SJCC) has provided an academic and job training program that makes college and careers possible for disadvantaged youth. Personal counseling, job placement and a safe learning campus allows SJCC&CS graduates to find careers in: the green collar industry; construction; waste management; landscaping; office administration and computer technology.

SELACO Workforce Investment Board
10900 E. 183rd. Street, Suite 350
Cerritos, CA  90703

Yolanda Castro
(562) 402-9336

Award Amount:  $500,000

Summary:  SELACO’s CalGRIP project will serve 60 youth (16 through 24) from Southeast Los Angeles County who are involved with or are at-risk of being recruited or impacted by gangs. Working with an extensive network of local probation, law enforcement, social services, education, training and community-/faith based agencies, SELACO will ensure that youth impacted by the presence and activities of gangs in their communities receive comprehensive and holistic support and guidance. These services will supplement youth’s participation in job readiness and vocational training, which will prepare them for employment in the building trades, allied health occupations, logistics and other demand occupations.