Philly Named Finalist In US Mayors Challenge​, $5M On The Line

PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia has been named a finalist in the 2018 U.S. Mayors Challenge, which is a nationwide competition that encourages city leaders to develop ideas that confront the toughest problems cities face. The city could win up to $5 million if it goes on to win the challenge.

Among the more than 320 cities that entered the challenge presented by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Philadelphia's "Hub for Juvenile Justice Services" proposal landed it alongside 35 other cities in the finals.

"Philadelphia is excited to be among the 'Champion Cities' recognized by Bloomberg Philanthropies as innovators in developing powerful solutions to local challenges," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "We're deeply committed to building stronger supports for vulnerable young people through the Philadelphia Hub for Juvenile Justice Services, and we know that our idea will benefit tremendously from the expert guidance and city-to-city collaboration that we’ll receive from the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge."

Philadelphia's idea is for the Hub to create a new national model for how children are treated in the criminal justice system, according to city officials.

Under the proposal submitted to the Bloomberg Challenge, the Hub would be a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week integrated service center that is trauma-informed and technology-driven.

Staff at the Hub would receive training to respond to youth and families and make referrals to prevention or other social service programs and to pretrial programs when appropriate. The Hub would provide juveniles immediate and long-term access to social services and diversion programs through a centralized, non-police facility, officials said.

Philadelphia will now begin a six-month "Test, Learn, and Adapt" phase of the competition where it will conduct a public prototype of the Hub with grant funding of up to $100,000.

The city will submit a new application in August 2018.

Then in October, four of the finalist cities will receive $1 million awards and one finalist will receive a grand prize of $5 million to bring the ideas to life.

"We received hundreds of bold and creative ideas from cities around the country in response to the 2018 Mayors Challenge, and these 35 really stood out for their potential to improve people’s lives," Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of New York City, said in a statement. "The next six months are a great opportunity for the cities to test their ideas and make them even more innovative and effective."

The Hub for Juvenile Justice Systems proposal was created by two members of the Philadelphia Police Department, Lt. Stephen Clark, PPD (Strategic Planning/PPD 2020) and Sgt. John Ross, PPD (Strategic Planning/PPD 2020), the city said.

Joining them in the effort was Rhonda McKitten, a Stoneleigh Fellow currently serving as a Youth Policy and Training Specialist in the Police Department, according to the city.

The idea is an outgrowth of the work of a stakeholder group including the Managing Director’s Office, PPD, the DA’s office, DHS, Juvenile Probation and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, officials said.

The group has been meeting since May 2017 to look at ways to reduce the amount of time that youth spend in police custody, mitigate youth trauma, and support Philadelphia youth and families, according to officials.

The 34 other cities to make the finals are:

• Austin, TX;
• Boston, MA;
• Boulder, CO;
• Cary, NC;
• Charleston, SC;
• Chelsea, MA;
• Cheyenne, WY;
• Coral Gables, FL;
• Danbury, CT;
• Denver, CO;
• Detroit, MI;
• Durham, NC;
• Elk Grove, CA;
• Fort Collins, CO;
• Georgetown, TX;
• Grand Rapids, MI;
• Hartford, CT;
• Huntington, WV;
• Ithaca, NY;
• Lafayette, LA;
• Lincoln, NE;
• Los Angeles, CA;
• Louisville, KY;
• Miami/Miami Beach, FL;
• Moreno Valley, CA;
• New Rochelle, NY;
• Oklahoma City, OK;
• Phoenix, AZ;
• Pittsburgh, PA;
• Princeton, NJ;
• South Bend, IN;
• Vallejo,CA;
• and Washington, D.C.

The topics addressed by the Champion Cities offer a snapshot of the top challenges faced by U.S. leaders.

Climate, health, and jobs emerged as the most popular topics as cities look for unique ways to reduce carbon emissions and create renewable energy options, confront the opioid crisis, and prevent arrested youth from re-entering the criminal justice system.

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