NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, FL — A Tallahassee nonprofit is one step closer to securing a $1.2 million state grant aimed at reducing crime among young adults in the 32304 zip code.
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After receiving a recommendation from the Leon County Public Safety Coordinating Council, We Are All We Need CEO Kevin Warren is working to finalize the organization's grant application, which is due in May.
The grant called the Criminal Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Program is from Florida Department of Children and Families.
Warren said the grant would fund a program called "Bridging the Gap," which would expand the nonprofit's services to reach adults ages 18 to 28 — a group he says is at the center of violent crime in the community.
"18 to 24, that's really where crime and violent crime, that's where it happens, those from either victim or perpetrator,” Warren said. “We want to really focus on the data that suggests that poverty and the symptoms of poverty is what really leads to gun violence.”
Through the program, the organization would help at-risk young adults find stable housing and employment.
Services would also include life planning, coaching, mental health screenings and drug screenings — all before a crisis such as an arrest or mental health emergency occurs.
Warren said the program would prioritize the highest-need populations in Leon County's "Promise Zone," which includes neighborhoods like Frenchtown, Greater Bond, Griffin Heights, South City and more.
"We do focus on a lot of our highest acuity population, so kids aging out of foster care, families who are incarcerated – having incarcerated parents or adults," Warren said.
We Are All We Need was the only applicant recommended by the Leon County Public Safety Coordinating Council this year.
Council Member Teresa Broxton cited the organization's track record, which includes a re-arrest rate of 3%.
"Expanding services to the age of 28 is significant because it captures a group often called emergent adults. These are individuals who, they're no longer juveniles, but they are still very receptive to interventions," Broxton said. "Breaking that cycle, we can hopefully reduce crime in the community, all of which is a goal of the Public Safety Coordinating Council."
Warren said the organization previously received the grant in 2022 to serve teenagers and is now looking to build on that work.
He believes the expansion could also reduce jail costs and emergency care expenses by $330,000 and $495,000, respectively.
"We're specifically over the last 5 years have seen where the gaps exist for youth and adults, and this project is to literally just fill those gaps to be able to help our system of care be more cohesive," Warren said.
If awarded, Warren said the organization expects to hear back from the state in the summer.
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