[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 27 (Wednesday, February 9, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: X94-10209]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: February 9, 1994]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part V
Corporation for National and Community Service
_______________________________________________________________________
Community Service--Summer of Safety Youth Corps Program; Notice
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Community Service--Summer of Safety Youth Corps Program
AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Corporation for National and Community Service announces
the availability of up to $2.5 million for grants to support existing
public or private nonprofit summer youth corps programs addressing
public safety or environmental needs in local communities. These funds
will provide opportunities for approximately 1000 youth to serve their
communities on a full-time basis during the summer while earning a
limited stipend and a $1000 post-service educational award.
DATES: The deadline for the submission of proposals is Monday, March
21, 1994.
ADDRESSES: All proposals should be submitted to the Corporation for
National and Community Service, 1100 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington
DC, 20525.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nathalie Augustin, Senior Program Officer, at the Corporation for
National and Community Service, (202) 606-5000, ext. 116.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On September 21, 1993, the President signed into law the National
and Community Service Trust Act (the Act), which created the
Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation's
mission is to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service
that addresses the nation's education, public safety, health, and
environmental needs to achieve direct and demonstrable results. In
doing so, the Corporation will foster civic responsibility, strengthen
the ties that bind us as a people, and provide educational opportunity
for those who make a substantial commitment to service.
The Corporation is a new Federal agency that encompasses the work
and staff of two existing independent agencies, the Commission on
National and Community Service and ACTION. The Corporation will fund a
new national service initiative called AmeriCorps, service-learning
initiatives in elementary and secondary schools and institutions of
higher education, and the new National Civilian Community Corps. The
Corporation will also engage in efforts to improve the quality of
service programs and continue to support the Volunteers In Service To
America (VISTA) program and the senior volunteer programs previously
sponsored by ACTION.
The Act generally authorizes the Corporation to support summer
service programs. Pursuant to this authorization, the Corporation has
established a range of Summer of Safety initiatives which will focus on
enhancing public safety. These are briefly described in Appendix #1.
The youth corps component of the Summer of Safety program will provide
an opportunity for school-age youth to make a full-time commitment to
addressing the public safety needs of their communities during their
summer vacation. Because summer youth corps programs typically
concentrate their activities on environmental projects, applicants may
propose environmental projects in addition to public safety projects.
Objectives of the Summer of Safety Program
The Summer of Safety Program is being launched to respond to the
growing fear of and frustration over the levels of crime and violence
in communities in every part of the country. The 1994 Summer of Safety
will demonstrate the potential of national service to respond to these
urgent needs by tapping the talents and energies of Americans of all
ages and backgrounds--especially young adults. Specifically, Summer of
Safety will address the public safety needs of communities by achieving
the following objectives:
--Making direct, demonstrable impacts on crime, violence and fear by
identifying and meeting public safety needs.
--Building new partnerships and collaborations for safety that
capitalize on all of the community's resources.
--Demonstrating that every citizen--especially young people--can help
make communities safer.
--Providing seed support for innovative service programs that address
public safety needs.
--Stimulating public interest in national service as a means to respond
to America's problems.
Program Overview
The Corporation will award up to $2.5 million to support existing
summer youth corps programs operated by State agencies, Indian tribes,
and private nonprofit organizations. Of the available funds, States
will be able to compete for $1 million dollars, Indian tribes and
private nonprofit organizations will be able to compete for $1.5
million. One million dollars will be reserved in the National Service
Trust Fund for educational awards to up to 1,000 participants who
successfully complete the summer program.
Funded youth corps programs must engage youth in service projects
that address public safety or environmental needs. The term ``youth
corps program'' means a program such as a conservation or youth service
corps that:
--Undertakes meaningful service projects with visible public benefits;
--Includes as participants youths and young adults between the ages of
16 and 25, inclusive, including out-of-school youths and other
disadvantaged youths (such as youths with limited basic skills, youth
in foster care who are becoming too old for foster care, youths of
limited English proficiency, homeless youths and youths who are
individuals with disabilities) who are between those ages; and
--Provides those participants with: crew-based, highly structured, and
adult-supervised work experience, life skills, education career
guidance and counseling, employment training, and support services; and
the opportunity to develop citizenship values and skills through
service to their community and the United States.
Grants will be awarded to operate 10-to 12-week summer youth corps
programs. Service activities during the summer must focus on the areas
of public safety and the environment. At least one-half of the funds
awarded will support public safety-related service activities.
Permissible activities include assisting in community policing
initiatives, escorting seniors in high-crime neighborhoods, and
recreation/activities for children and youth that incorporate violence
prevention and safety education. See Appendix #2 for an approach to
developing a public safety program and examples of possible public
safety activities in which corpsmembers may be engaged.
In addition to public safety activities, youth corps programs may
also engage in environmental activities including:
--Revitalizing neighborhoods by creating and maintaining trees, green
spaces, and recreation areas;
--Eliminating environmental risks through education, testing, and
cleanup;
--Reducing waste through energy efficiency efforts, recycling, and
other conservation measures;
--Conserving and restoring public lands, forests, rivers, streams, and
wetlands;
--Making parks more accessible through trail maintenance and
infrastructure improvements; and
--Sampling, mapping, monitoring, and recording the status and trends of
air, water, groundwater, land, plants, and animals.
Programs do not have to address both public safety and
environmental needs. Some programs may focus solely on public safety
projects, other programs may focus solely on environmental projects;
and still others may focus on both issue areas. We note again that at
least one half of the funds awarded will be used to support programs
engaging in public safety.
Eligibility
States, through a Corporation-approved State Commission,
Alternative Administrative Entity (AAE), or Transitional Entity (TE),
are eligible to submit applications to support existing State-operated
summer youth corps programs pursuant to Subtitle C of the Act
(AmeriCorps Grants). If a State has yet to establish a State Commission
or AAE, such a State may designate a State agency (including a State
Lead Agency that was designated to administer grants awarded by the
Commission on National and Community Service) to serve as a TE.
Private nonprofit organizations and Indian Tribes operating
existing youth corps programs are also eligible to apply for funds
pursuant to Subtitle H of the Act (Investment for Quality and
Innovation).
Program Requirements
Funded programs must comply with the following requirements:
(1) Programs must seek to strengthen the ability of the community
to utilize community service as a means of responding to problems of
crime, violence and fear or environmental problems. In order to respond
to such problems, programs must clearly identify the specific needs
they seek to address.
(2) Programs must establish specific objectives that reflect
demonstrable positive outcomes in the areas of public safety or the
environment. These objectives should be directly related to alleviating
the identified needs.
While the goal of public safety projects should be the reduction of
crime, violence and fear in the communities served, it may be very
difficult to document such accomplishments, given the limited time
during which a summer program can operate. Accordingly, as well as
quantifiable measures of outcome, there may also be intermediate
measures of effort and accomplishment which are appropriate as specific
objectives.
Examples of such objectives--each of which should address only one
activity and include one result--may include reduction in reported
crime of XX% (generally or in more limited focus, e.g., robberies of
convenience stores, gang-related assaults, attacks against senior
citizens, etc.), XX% of neighborhood residents feel safer compared to
before program, XX victims of violent crime assisted at court or at
home, XX Safe Houses established, XX playgrounds refurbished and
supervised, etc.
Examples of demonstrable objectives for environmental projects
include XX trees planted, XX low-income homes tested for lead paint and
radon, XX% participation in a community recycling project, XX miles of
trails built.
(3) Programs proposing to engage in any public safety activities
must form collaborative partnerships with organizations within the
community that will enhance the capacity of the community to respond to
problems of crime, violence, and fear. Given the range of needs that
must be met and the variety of possible service activities that may
help meet these needs, there are many organizations, institutions and
individuals within the community that can meaningfully contribute. Such
organizations include: law enforcement, schools, and other public
agencies; private nonprofit organizations (including victim assistance
and youth-serving organizations); health and welfare programs; senior
centers; civic organizations; youth groups; and the business sector.
(4) There are activities that are not appropriate for Summer of
Safety youth corps participants. Concern for the physical safety of
participants and the specialized training/skill requirements for
certain law enforcement/corrections tasks limit the types of service
activities which are appropriate. Certain other activities are not
appropriate absent a clear link to a broad community public safety
effort. Finally, some tasks are not suitable for national service
programs at all. Specifically:
--The Corporation will not support programs which place service
participants in situations that (i) involve the arrest process, (ii)
involve the chain of custody of evidence, (iii) involve witnessing
criminal incidents which may result in participants being called as
witnesses in adjudicatory proceedings, (iv) result in intentional
contact with suspected criminal offenders, (v) involve contact with
defendants or convicted offenders without appropriate safeguards in
place, or (vi) otherwise pose significant risk to participant safety
(e.g., working alone in a high crime neighborhood).
--Grant funds may not be used to support programs that merely provide
positive activities for youth (e.g., recreation, field trips, cultural
opportunities, social/athletic events, vocational support, academic
assistance, mentoring). Although the Corporation recognizes the
importance of such activities and their indirect connection to public
safety in the long term, grant funds may not be used to support such
activities unless they are conducted as components of broad public
safety initiatives.
--Activities that do not provide a direct benefit to the community,
such as clerical work or research, may be performed if they support
direct service, but may not be the primary activity of a national
service program.
--Certain activities are prohibited for participants in national
service programs. These activities include: (i) Efforts to influence
legislation; (ii) organizing protests, petitions, boycotts or strikes;
(iii) assisting or deterring union organizing; impairing contracts for
services or collective bargaining agreements; (iv) partisan political
activity; (v) religious instruction; and (vi) benefiting profitmaking
businesses, labor unions, partisan political organizations, or non-
profit organizations which fail to comply with Section 501(c) of the
Internal Revenue Code. Further information about these prohibited
activities may be found in the Corporation's Proposed Regulations,
published in the Federal Register on January 7, 1994.
(5) Programs must actively seek to include participants from
diverse racial, ethnic, economic, and educational backgrounds, and
include residents from the community where the program will be
conducted.
(6) Programs must provide appropriate training and educational
opportunities, including service learning, to participants.
(7) The physical safety of participants must be of paramount
concern. Thus, programs must demonstrate their plans for ensuring the
physical safety of participants.
(8) Programs must provide a living allowance in an amount not to
exceed $170 per week. The Corporation will provide a $1000 post-service
educational award to participants who successfully complete the summer
program. The award may be used only for higher educational purposes,
including loan repayment, or certain types of vocational training. The
educational awards will be administered through the National Service
Trust Fund. In order for a participant to receive the educational
award, such participant must successfully complete a minimum of 381
hours of service during the course of the summer program. Up to 10
hours per week of classroom training and education activities may be
counted toward these service hours.
(9) Programs must agree to (a) begin operations between June 1, and
June 20, 1994, (b) officially ``launch'' summer activities on June 21,
1994, and (c) conclude by August 24, 1994.
(10) Programs must track progress toward achievement of their
program objectives. Programs must also monitor the quality of service
activities, the satisfaction of both persons served and program
participants, and management effectiveness. Internal evaluation and
monitoring should be a continuous process allowing for frequent
feedback and quick correction of weaknesses. Additionally, programs
must cooperate with the Corporation and its evaluators in all
Corporation monitoring and evaluation efforts. As part of these
efforts, programs must collect and submit to the Corporation certain
participant data, including the total number of participants in the
program, and the number of participants by race, ethnicity, sex, age,
economic background, education level, disability classification, and
geographic region. The Corporation will provide forms for collecting
participant data.
(11) Programs must comply with a number of match requirements
outlined below. The program cost match may be in cash or in-kind
services. Other Federal funds may be used as a match for the purpose of
this proposal, except as noted below. Programs are encouraged to exceed
the required match amounts because evidence of such ``over-matching''
will be a factor in the selection of programs. Programs must provide a
match of at least:
--25% of the cost of operating the program; and
--15% of the cost of the living allowance for participants. This match
may not include in-kind services or other Federal funds.
(12) Awards made by the Corporation are Federal Grants, and will be
subject to the Corporation's Regulations, applicable Office of
Management and Budget Circulars, including Audit Requirements, and
other appropriate Federal Statutory requirements. These various
requirements will be incorporated into the terms and conditions of the
grant award.
The Corporation's proposed program regulations were published in
the Federal Register (Volume 59, No. 5) on January 7, 1994. The
Corporation intends to issue its regulations in final form prior to the
application submission deadline.
Proposal Guidelines
Applicants must submit an unbound original and four (4) unbound
copies of their applications. Applications must be received by the
Corporation by 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving time, March 21, 1994.
Applications must be mailed or hand-delivered to the Corporation, 1100
Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20525. Facsimiles will not be
accepted.
Proposals should not exceed twenty-five (25) typewritten, double-
spaced pages, including title page, budget, budget narrative, all
attachments or appendices, organized and labeled in the following
categories.
I. Title Page
The title page should provide the following information: (1)
Specification that funds are being requested under the Summer of Safety
Youth Corps Programs; (2) the name and address of the legal applicant,
and signature of its authorized executive; (3) the amount of
Corporation funds requested, and the amount of non-Federal match; (4)
the number of participants; and (5) one paragraph describing the
proposed activities (including the amount of requested funds which will
be used to support public safety projects) and the target community.
II. Program Narrative
A narrative describing the proposed program should be organized in
the following manner.
(A) Needs
(1) Discuss the specific needs or problems that exist in the target
community/neighborhood(s) which the program will address. Sources of
official data (demographic data, crime offense data, etc.), public
opinion surveys, expert analysis and other sources of local information
are all useful.
(2) Describe specifically how the program will address the
identified problem(s). Outcomes must be measurable and direct.
(3) Discuss why the method of addressing needs will be effective in
achieving the specified objectives established by the program. This
should include discussion of long-term effects (e.g., safe houses
established during the summer will continue to operate during the
school year, vacant lots will be converted into community gardens or
green spaces, neighborhood volunteers will continue activities
initiated during the summer, etc.)
(B) Participants
(1) Describe plans to recruit, screen, select, and assign a
qualified pool of participants, including individuals from the
community served.
(2) Describe the training and education to be provided to
participants to ensure successful involvement in the summer program.
(3) Discuss how the entire summer experience for participants--
including orientation, training, service activities, etc.--will develop
useful skills, teach participants about public safety and environmental
issues, promote active citizenship, and strengthen participants'
commitment to service.
(4) Describe the policies and practices designed to assure the
safety of participants while carrying out service activities.
(5) Describe plans to provide health care and appropriate child
care for certain program participants. Preliminary guidance may be
found in the Corporation's proposed regulations (See Appendix #3).
These plans may be revised prior to grant approval as a result of
requirements in this area that will be set forth in the Corporation's
final regulations.
(6) Describe the arrangements that will be made to provide for
appropriate program and participant liability coverage.
(7) Describe the arrangements that will be made to cover on-the-job
injury to participants, such as linkage with State Workers'
Compensation or other appropriate accident and injury policies.
(C) Service Activities
(1) Describe the specific service activities that will be conducted
by the program.
(2) Identify the number of participants and unstipended volunteers,
if appropriate, who will serve in each of the identified activities.
(3) Discuss how participants' background, skills or other factors
will influence the assignment of participants to the various service
activities.
(4) Describe the training participants will receive to enable them
to carry out service assignments.
(5) Describe procedures for the supervision of participants engaged
in service activities.
(6) Discuss the process by which the program will ensure that
service participants will not displace paid workers, including
consultations with appropriate labor unions.
(D) Continuation
(1) While demonstrable impact should be evidenced during the
summer, it is not likely that problems will be completely solved during
a 10 to 12-week period. Efforts with a longer-term horizon, such as the
development of plans for action beyond the scope of the summer effort,
may also begin during the summer. It is important to ensure that
promising community-based activities are not lost at the end of the
summer.
Unless a program will achieve its entire intended impact in the
summer only or its impact will be long-term without further program
effort, plans to continue the service projects should be addressed in
the proposal. Examples of ways in which a program could seek to
continue the service projects begun in the summer include the
following:
--The service projects could continue to be carried out by an
organization--including the applicant or partner organizations--using
other resources;
--A combination of local, State and private funds could be secured,
thus permitting the continuation of service and volunteer activities;
or
--The program partnership could establish (or expand) an effective
volunteer cadre to continue its efforts.
(2) Identify priority activities or strategies which will be
sustained following the summer. This may be the entire service
projects, select components, or efforts begun in the summer that will
be brought to fruition.
(3) Describe the resources and approaches that will assure
continuation of the program activity.
(4) Programs that will accomplish their objectives by the end of
the summer or those that have no need to sustain activity because they
will achieve long-term impact as a result of the summer effort need not
respond to this section.
(E) Workplan/Timeline
(1) Identify steps and milestones in a program development,
implementation and management process that begins April 8 (the date by
which successful applicants will receive notice of selection) and ends
on August 24.
(2) Incorporate a required national-scope training and technical
assistance workshop for the leadership (program director and two key
supervisory staff) of programs that will engage in public safety
activities in late April.
(3) Absent a compelling reason to do otherwise, establish the week
of June 13 for participant orientation and training, use June 21 as the
official date to ``launch'' their efforts, and end the program by
August 24.
(F) Applicant Capacity
(1) Describe the applicant's capacity to develop and administer the
program; include a description of any experience running pubic safety
or environmental programs, or managing the types of partnerships needed
for effective public safety projects.
(2) Include brief resumes or other descriptions of the experience
and background of proposed or actual program director and key
supervisory staff. Please note that such attachments will count towards
an applicant's overall 20-page limitation.
(3) For programs engaging in public safety activities, or for
programs which have established certain partnerships to carry out
environmental projects, describe the working relationships that exist
with the appropriate community organizations and public agencies,
including the local law enforcement agency.
(4) Certify the applicant's willingness to promote a national
identity for the Summer of Safety program, as an AmeriCorps project,
through the use of logos and other materials, and participate in
activities such as common opening or closing ceremonies and other
events.
(G) Partnership
(1) For applicants proposing public safety activities, identify the
organizations and agencies (and, if appropriate, individuals) that have
committed to participating in the partnership effort, and identify the
leader of the partnership.
(2) Describe the commitment each partner has made to carry out
specific roles and to contribute specific resources (training,
expertise, space, supplies, funds, publicity, etc.) to support the
program.
(H) Monitoring and Evaluation
(1) Describe how progress toward program objectives will be
monitored.
(2) Describe how the quality of service activity and the
satisfaction of both the participants and the individuals or
institutions served will be assessed on an on-going basis.
(3) Include sound plans for ensuring that the required descriptive
and demographic data is collected.
(4) Include the results from previous evaluations.
(5) Commit to cooperating with the Corporation's national
evaluation effort.
III. Budget
(1) The Budget Summary Form included here should be completed. On
an attached sheet, please provide brief explanations and/or
justifications of each budget item.
(2) ``Other Expenses'' may include other allowable costs (including
such things as local training, equipment, transportation, insurance,
etc.), related to the operation of the program. Each component of
``other expenses'' must be explained.
(3) The Corporation is in the process of determining the
advisability of requiring health care coverage for participants (see
Appendix #3). For purposes of this budget, please reflect a line item
for health care equal to $300 per participants, $255 of which is paid
for by the Corporation and $45 of which is paid for by the program.
(4) For those programs proposing public safety projects, include in
your budget an estimate of $700 for the cost of travel and per diem for
the program director and two key supervisory staff to attend a three
day training program that will be held in late April in a location to
be determined by the Corporation.
(5) The educational award of $1000 for participants who
successfully complete the program will be administered directly by the
Corporation and should not be included in the budget submitted for this
proposal.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria will be used to select applicants for award.
Each criteria will be considered up to the percentage of the total
proposal as noted.
(1) Quality (65%)
(a) Plan (30%): The program narrative describes a high quality
public safety and/or environmental service initiative with:
--Direct demonstrable outcomes;
--Feasible project implementation plans and realistic timetables, which
were developed with input from the community to be served;
--A range of service activities appropriate to community needs and
participant backgrounds and skills. Discussion of proposed service
activities should include description of specific assignments;
--Recruitment and selection plans that will attract a qualified and
diverse group of participants, including community residents;
--Evaluation reports, if available, that support the proposed program;
and
--Self-assessment techniques to monitor performance against objectives.
(b) Applicant and Partnership (35%): The applicant organization
evidences:
--The existence or selection of a well-qualified project director and
supervisors for participants;
--Experience in operating public safety or environmental initiatives;
--Track record demonstrating capacity to organize and facilitate
partnership of participating agencies and organizations; and
--Ability to conduct fiscal affairs of program.
In addition, for applicants proposing public safety activities, the
proposal identifies a broad-based working partnership of agencies and
organizations to carry out public safety-related service activities
that:
--Includes appropriate public and private agencies and organizations
with track records of operating public safety programs and youth and
community efforts. If local law enforcement agencies/organizations are
not included, proposal must explain why the participation of law
enforcement is not necessary;
--Includes residents of the communities in which the program will be
based;
--Evidences specific commitment from participating entities to
contribute to and cooperate with activities initiated by community
partnership;
--Identifies tasks and roles to be carried out by partnership members
during project planning phase (prior to summer) and during operating
phase; and
--Defines procedures for the effective operation of a practical working
partnership.
(2) Cost Effectiveness (15%)
The proposal evidences a cost effective approach to the use of
Corporation and other Federal funds and non-Federal resource (cash, in-
kind, and human). Specifically:
--The budget is reasonable for the proposed service activities and the
identified community needs;
--The match requirement is achieved. Additional match that enhances the
cost effectiveness of the proposal is strongly encouraged;
--The extent and type of matching funds and other resources from other
public (including Federal agencies and private sources will be
considered; and
--Linkages with other federally-funded programs are encouraged.
(3) Sustainability (10%)
The quality and feasibility of plans to sustain especially
effective elements of program activity following the completion of the
summer program without additional Corporation funding will be
considered.
(4) Innovation and Replication (10%)
The proposal incorporates innovative approaches to partnerships,
community involvement, and service, and evidences strategies and
activities potentially replicable in other locations.
In addition to the above criteria, the Corporation will give
special consideration to: (1) Youth corps programs that previously
received funding from the Commission on National and Community Service,
under the American Conservation and Youth Service Corps program, to
operate summer programs; and (2) programs with creatively designed
service projects that meet both environmental and public safety needs,
e.g., a project that involves the clean-up and creation of a green
space in a vacant lot that has attached much criminal activity.
Moreover, the Corporation will ensure that at least 50% of the
funds awarded to States for State-operated corps will support projects
that will be conducted in areas of need, as detailed in Appendix #4.
Application Review and Selection Process
The Corporation will evaluate the applications using a panel of
reviewers consisting of experts in the field of public safety, youth
corps, and the environment. Publication of this announcement does not
obligate the Corporation to award any specific number of grants or to
obligate the entire amount of funds available.
Notification of tentative selection will be made by April 8, 1994.
Selections will be considered tentative until execution of a final
grant agreement, which may require discussions between Corporation and
program staff to resolve remaining financial or programmatic issues and
to refine and/or further develop plans or specific strategies.
Appendix 1
The other components of 1994 Summer of Safety which are sponsored
by the Corporation for National and Community Service are briefly
described below. For further information about any of these Summer of
Safety initiatives, please contact the Corporation.
Summer of Safety Grants Program--The Summer of Safety Grants
program will provide opportunities for 1000 participants, at least
17 years of age, to serve full-time in community-based collaborative
efforts to respond to public safety needs related to crime, violence
and fear. Awards will be made in 10 to 20 locations--both urban and
rural--to programs run by partnerships that may include law
enforcement, other public agencies, nonprofit and community-based
organizations, institutions of higher education, Indian Tribes, and
the business community.
VISTA Summer Associates--The VISTA Summer of Safety program will
support 1,000 full-time VISTA Summer Associates beginning service
between June 1 and June 21, and serving from 8-10 weeks on projects
which also have full-year VISTA Volunteers assigned. Participants
will receive a living allowance, and those who successfully complete
the summer term of service are eligible to receive a $1,000
educational award from the National Service Trust.
VISTA Summer Associate activities will address the issues of
crime, violence, and fear in low-income communities by working on
efforts such as community policing, crime prevention, and victim
assistance. Both new and existing VISTA-sponsoring organizations are
eligible to apply for VISTA Summer Associates through ACTION State
Offices which will provide technical assistance in developing
project applications.
Learn and Serve America--Summer of Safety grants of up to
$50,000 will be made through the Corporation's Learn & Serve America
program to engage 1500 youth between the ages of five and seventeen
in innovative public safety-related community service. Eligible
applicants are public or private nonprofit organizations that have
experience working with school-age youths, and that have been in
existence for at least one year. K-12 Summer of Safety programs must
be innovative, and may encompass multiple program sites.
National Senior Volunteer Corps--The National Senior Volunteer
Corps will fund 20 grants to existing NSVC sponsors involving the
full range of public safety activities. An estimated 2,800 Senior
Corps members will be recruited. The Corps will include
professionally trained and other seniors interested in serving
public safety needs. There will be a targeted recruitment campaign
to attract highly skilled senior or retired police officers,
sheriff's deputies, correctional officers, military police, social
workers, teachers, public defenders and community leaders.
Activities may include: providing administrative support to
police departments, conducting neighborhood crime surveys, providing
crime prevention education to seniors, assisting domestic violence
victims navigate the court system, coordinating neighborhood watch
programs, and serving as mentors, tutors and counselors to juveniles
under court supervision.
Guidance to existing sponsors will be issued in late January
with projects becoming operational in June.
National Civilian Community Corps--Approximately 200 Corps
members, ages 14-17, will do public safety-related service projects
with schools, local law enforcement agencies, and community-based
organizations. Corps members will receive leadership training and a
mix of the best military and civilian youth service programming
during their eight weeks at the camp on an underutilized military
installation. The site for the NCCC Summer of Safety camp will be
selected by March, 1994.
Appendix 2
This Appendix provides suggestions for how you might approach
the development of a Summer of Safety program. It is meant to be
thought-provoking and is not a required process.
I. Identify the Crime/Violence Problem To Be Addressed
By working directly with local law enforcement, canvassing door-
to-door in neighborhoods, attending community meetings, setting up
meetings for law enforcement with community groups, contacting and
surveying local businesses, public agencies, service organizations,
youth groups, senior groups, etc., your organization can identify
specific crime problems which confront the community and concern
residents. The types of issues most readily identified through this
kind of analysis include:
--Specific population needs (e.g., seniors who are afraid to go to
the market after dark, or children who can't use a playground
because of drug activity, debris or disrepair, or teenagers who get
in trouble when a facility--theater, club, etc.--closes for the
evening, or targets of hate crimes);
--Physical hazards (e.g., drug houses, vacant structures used for
drug trade or other illegal or disorderly purpose, abandoned
vehicles, missing street lights, broken fences, dangerous vehicle
traffic patterns, open-air drug markets);
--Resident safety concerns (e.g., fear of crime and victimization,
need for crime prevention information--locks, etc., lack of
information about crime within neighborhood); and
--Unreported or undetected criminal activity (e.g., drug use or
sales in a neighborhood location, gang activity, prostitution,
victims of crime who have not reported the victimization or who
continue to be victimized--especially victims of domestic violence
or fraudulent solicitors/practices).
II. Pick The Partners
Think broadly about the range of organizations that are already
involved in reducing crime and violence in your community, or that
may be interested in joining such an effort. Try to determine which
ones have missions, resources or experience comparable to yours.
City agencies, especially local law enforcement agencies, should be
considered. Other possible partners include:
--Schools (including higher education institutions).
--Private non-profit organizations (particularly those that work to
prevent crime and violence or that work with youth or victims of
crime).
--Community and neighborhood organizations.
--Senior or neighborhood centers.
--Private businesses.
Please read Program Narrative section 2(g) (``Partnership'')
carefully regarding the delineation of roles and other aspects of
creating a useful partnership. Keep in mind that, while effective
partnerships will involve many elements in a community, eligibility
to receive funds and parameters of allowable activities are limited.
(See sections entitled, ``Eligibility'' and ``Limitations''.)
III. Craft a Specific Problem Response
After analyzing the community's needs and picking your partners,
you will plan and implement a specific program designed to make a
direct and demonstrable difference.
It may help to have various activities linked with a common
theme. For example, in a victim's assistance program, participants
might be engaged in the following activities:
--Supporting victim services within the court, notify victims of
court dates and procedures, meet and accompany victims to
courtrooms, staff child care centers, follow-up on restitution
orders, etc.:
--Accompanying law enforcement on calls to provide immediate crisis
intervention support, accompany victims to hospital or police
department, make social service referrals (including to battered
women's shelters), arrange lock/home repairs, assist with emergency
funds, lost documents, public assistance, etc.;
--Maintaining follow-up contact with victims to help identify
longer-term needs; and
--Assisting in operation of a victim service program; i.e., work in
a family violence shelter providing child care, tutoring,
transportation, vocational help; serve with a sexual assault crisis
center/hotline or abused children's center.
It is also possible that, within a Summer of Safety program,
there may be a number of different service activities which can
positively impact the safety of the community. But make sure that
the activities you are contemplating are realistic. Will they make a
real difference in your communities within the short time frame of
the summer? Clearly, not every problem can be solved in one summer,
but appropriate responses can be developed that identify the parties
responsible for necessary actions, specify and take initial steps,
and evidence impact.
While the range of possible effective activities is potentially
limitless, below are additional examples of activities that can be
started and have appreciable impact in a short time:
--Involving neighborhood youth in a senior escort service;
--Conducting and disseminating crime prevention surveys and
information/advice;
--Undertaking community clean-up efforts, focusing on graffiti,
vacant lots, alleys, AND other sites where fear of crime and
disorder are evident;
--Identifying and boarding-up abandoned properties in which drug
use/trade may be occurring;
--Organizing neighborhood watch-type programs;
--Initiating or enhancing relationships between law enforcement and
local youth organizations;
--Developing a network of ``Safe Houses'' or ``safe Corridors'' in
neighborhood, and training parents and children about the program;
--Developing and conducting anti-violence presentations for youth
groups;
--Joining with senior volunteers in intergenerational efforts
designed around youth safety themes;
--Developing and supervising youth activities that incorporate age-
appropriate personal safety/violence prevention training; e.g.,
illicit drug use, impaired driving, etc.;
--Establishing conflict resolution programs, including outreach,
training, and ongoing activities for youth through schools and
community-based youth organizations; and
--Leading public safety-related field trips for youth, with
appropriate orientation; e.g., to jails/prisons, police stations,
courts, hospitals, family violence shelters, etc.
Appendix 3
The Corporation is in the process of determining the
advisability of requiring health care policies for Summer of Safety
participants. That determination will be discussed with prospective
grantees prior to entering into a final grant agreement.
The Act requires that service programs make child care available
or provide an allowance for child care for service participants. The
Act further requires the Corporation to issue guidelines for child
care and the child care allowance.
Below is the guidance contained in the Corporation's proposed
regulations, Section 2522.250, published in the Federal Register
(Volume 59, No. 5) on January 7, 1994. This guidance is subject to
change upon issuance of the Corporation's final regulations.
(a) Child care. Grantees must provide child care through an
eligible provider or a child care allowance in an amount determined
by the Corporation to those full-time participants who need child
care in order to participate.
(1) Need. A participant is considered to need child care in
order to participate in the program if he or she:
(i) Is the parent or legal guardian of, or is acting in loco
parentis for, a child under 13 who resides with the participant;
(ii) Has a family income that does not exceed 75 percent of the
State's median income for a family of the same size;
(iii) At the time of acceptance into the program, is not
currently receiving child care assistance from another source,
including a parent or guardian, which would continue to be provided
while the participant serves in the program; and
(iv) Certifies that he or she needs child care in order to
participate in the program.
(2) Provider eligibility. Eligible child care providers are
those who are eligible child care providers as defined in the Child
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n(5)).
(3) Child care allowance. The amount of the child care allowance
will be determined by the Corporation based on payment rates for the
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
9858c(4)(A)).
(4) Federal share. The Corporation will pay 100% of the child
care allowance, or if the program provides child care through an
eligible provider, the actual cost of the care of the amount or the
allowance, whichever is less.
Appendix 4
The Act requires that, in selecting projects for funding under
Subtitle C, the Corporation consider whether the project would be
conducted in areas of need, which are:
(1) Communities designated by the Federal government or States
as empowerment zones or redevelopment areas, targeted for special
economic incentives, or otherwise identifiable as having
concentrations of low-income people.
(2) Areas that are environmentally distressed.
(3) Areas adversely affected by Federal actions related to the
management of Federal lands that result in significant regional job
losses and economic dislocation.
(4) Areas adversely affected by reductions in defense spending
or the closure or realignment of military installations.
(5) Areas that have an unemployment rate greater than the
national average unemployment rate for the most recent 12 months for
which satisfactory data are available.
Dated: February 4, 1994.
Catherine Milton,
Vice President and Director of National and Community Service programs.
BILLING CODE 6820-BA-M
