SACRAMENTO (July 12, 2018) – The Board of State and Community Corrections today awarded $9 million in violence-fighting grants and launched the process to distribute another $87 million in grants designed for youth diversion and adult reentry.

The 2018 Budget Act made $37.3 million available for grants to divert young people from the justice system in communities with high juvenile arrest rates. Another $50 million was made available for grants to help adults released from prison transition to outside life and to find and pay for housing.

The Board approved the solicitation of members for executive steering committees to write Requests for Proposals for both grants and to make eventual recommendations for the awards.

The Board appointed Member David Steinhart to chair the ESC for the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program and named Mark Varela as co-chair. The Board seeks a diverse ESC membership that includes people with relevant juvenile subject-matter expertise, such as people with experience in diversion, behavioral health, the juvenile justice system, trauma-informed care, Indian tribes, and education. The purpose of the grant is to support local efforts to divert youth away from the juvenile justice system and to provide alternatives to arrest and incarceration such as mentoring, vocational and academic education and mental health services.

For the Adult Reentry Grant, the BSCC appointed Chair Linda Penner and Member Francine Tournour to head the ESC. The Board is looking for ESC members with expertise in public health, housing, workforce development, and effective rehabilitative treatment for adult offenders, including, but not limited to, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Office of Health Equity, county probation, representatives of reentry-focused community-based organizations, criminal justice-impacted individuals, and representatives of housing-focused community-based organizations. The funds will go to community-based organizations to support formerly incarcerated state prisoners.

To submit a statement of interest to participate as a member of either ESC, follow the link on the BSCC home page.

The $9 million awarded for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program is a continuation of a grant the BSCC awarded in the spring of 2018. The Board decided to make the new CalVIP money available to applicants next in line on the ranked list the body approved in April. In addition to a $1 million set-aside for Los Angeles County, the Board voted to fully fund seven city proposals and six proposals from community-based organizations for programs and initiatives to prevent and reduce violence. Two programs that were partially funded in the first round received enough money to make them whole.

Successful grantees include the cities of Pasadena, Salinas, Seaside, Oxnard, Gilroy, Santa Rosa, Parlier and Duarte for programs targeting young adults. CBOs receiving funding include the Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy of San Bernardino; the California Conference for Equality and Justice in LA County; Community & Youth Outreach, Inc., of Alameda County; Garden Pathways of Kern County; Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services of LA; and Options Recovery Services in Alameda County. For more information about the funded proposals click here: