SITE OVERVIEW ♦ TUCSON | ARIZONA
Target Area: Oracle community • Population: 8,535
Fiscal Agent: Arizona State University College of Public Service and Community Solutions, School of Social Work
Research Partner: Arizona State University
Crime Concerns: Youth-involved violence, group violence and drug offenses
BCJI Funding Year: 2017 Planning and Implementation
Neighborhood Profile
The Oracle community has a high rate of vacant/abandoned homes, social disorganization, residential instability and a dearth of social services for residents. The three Census tracts that make up the community show high levels of unemployment (up to 32 percent), a high percentage of residents in poverty (up to 58 percent) and a high percentage of foreign-born residents (up to 24 percent). The area includes multiple small neighborhoods that are in need of assistance, including an urban Native American community (San Ignacio Yaqui, or Old Pascua). The three public middle schools that Oracle area youth attend have rates of out-of-school suspension that are between 2 to 4 times higher than that of the Tucson Unified School District.
In 2015, there were 5,000 calls to the police about criminal activity in the area, and since 2013, the total number of Part I Violent Crimes has increased, giving the target area an approximate crime rate of 5,700 violent crimes per 100,000 population, more than double the citywide rate. Calls to police regarding fights, reports of a person with a gun, and reported gunshots have increased significantly in recent years. In 2016, the Pima County Youth Violence Prevention Coalition (YVPC) held a day-long workshop for community stakeholders to identify community-specific risk factors for youth violence. A notable takeaway was that a lack of resources and funding for youth programming in the Oracle area has led to a lack of prosocial opportunities for youth in the community.
Planning Process
The Oracle community BCJI team is focused on four goals:
Reduce crime and improve community safety as part of a broader, comprehensive effort to advance neighborhood revitalization. The team will use Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) to influence social disorganization factors in the neighborhood and partner with the Tucson Police Department to enhance community policing efforts and improve neighborhood watch efforts.
Effectively use data and research to understand the drivers of crime around hot spots and use evidence to design a continuum of innovative and effective implementation strategies. The team will examine data related to neighborhood crime activity, incidents of violence and school-based crime.
Increase community engagement and empower youth and adult residents as leaders in shaping crime prevention and revitalization efforts. Implement the evidence-based YES Program (Youth Empowerment Solutions); implement the research-informed Resolve It, Solve It program; provide Life Skills programming; provide community-based youth activities.
Build the capacity of residents and cross-sector partners to address and prevent youth-involved crime. The team will promote sustainable collaboration within the Youth Violence Prevention Coalition to address juvenile-related crime problems from multiple angles.
Other Key Partners
Tucson Police Department, Youth Violence Prevention Coalition, Pima County Health Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Tucson Unified School District, Sunnyside Unified School District, City High Charter School, Ace Charter High School, Tucson YMCA, YWCA Tucson, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, Our Family Services, Higher Ground, Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, Arizona Serve, Youth On Their Own, Pima Prevention Partnership, Culture of Peace Alliance, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Child Support Services, Pima County Attorney’s Office, Pima County Juvenile Court Center, Teen Court, Pascua Yaqui tribe and Indigenous Strategies
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