From Waltham Rep. Stanley: $500K Added To Youth Grants Program

From The Desk of Rep. Tom Stanley: Rep. Stanley’s amendment to boost funding for the Competitive Grants in the Department of Public Health Youth-at-Risk Grants (YARG) line item was partially adopted into the fiscal year 2020 House budget. With this boost, the final House allocation is now at $1.4 million, $500,000 over the amount received in FY19. This funding increase helps 39 community-based, nonprofits provide prevention programs related to substance abuse, gang violence, bullying as well as supports for LGBTQ youths.

“These programs provide a unique resource for vulnerable youth, working in concert with other types of prevention programs to enable young people to safely and meaningfully engage with their
communities,” said Rep. Stanley. State data suggest that LGBTQ students are seven times as likely as their peers to use heroin, five times as likely to have attempted suicide in the past year and to have experienced sexual dating violence, twice as likely to have carried a weapon to school in the past month, and twice as likely to have been bullied on school property. One third of all hate crimes and bigoted actions in Boston in 2016 targeted LGBTQ people, with 2017 trends appearing similar.

“The youth-at-risk grants are quite literally life-saving. Without adequate funding, complimentary violence prevention funding streams become less effective,” said Rep. Stanley. The programs also make good economic sense. An analysis from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy found savings of between $2.74 and $84.63 for every $1 invested in a range of evidence- based youth violence prevention programs.