SITE OVERVIEW ♦ WASHINGTON | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Target Area: Clay Terrace | Lincoln Heights • Population: 1,305
Crime Concerns: Violent and property crimes, juvenile delinquency
BCJI Funding Year: 2015 Planning and Implementation
Neighborhood Profile
The Washington, D.C. BCJI target neighborhood in Ward 7 is comprised of two large public housing complexes: Richardson Dwelling (commonly known as Clay Terrace) and Lincoln Heights, with a total of 1,305 residents. More than 95 percent of the population in the area is African American, and in Clay Terrace and Lincoln Heights, 41 percent of the population is under 18 years of age. The average annual income of Clay Terrace and Lincoln Heights residents is very low – just $14,900.
At the time of the BCJI award in 2015, Clay Terrace had been designated as a hot spot area by the Metropolitan Police Department for two years, with increased police presence and patrols. Juvenile involvement with the criminal justice system was a particularly pressing problem, with 32 percent of the juvenile arrests in DC overall occurring in Ward 7 in 2013.
Planning Process
The BCJI project – the Clay Terrace/Lincoln Heights Empowerment Initiative—seeks to reduce overall violent crime, reduce the number of young offenders, and provide opportunities for youth engagement and leadership as alternatives to criminal activity. It is intended to build on two other collaborative efforts over the last four years that both aim to align and coordinate resources of DC government for youth and families. Partners are now pursuing a comprehensive planning process that includes a neighborhood assessment, ongoing outreach and engagement with residents and data analysis to inform the creation of a strategic plan. BCJI partners are examining the following strategies as part of that process:
- Community Policing/foot patrol, such as theMetropolitan Police Department’s Youth Creating Change program, which is focused on building trust between communities and the police.
- Evidence-based violence prevention,such as the Cure Violence model for street outreach and intervention.
- Restorative Justice/Conflict Resolution, such as the victim-offender mediation programs. .
- Mental health, substance prevention and mindfulness practices, in particular withyouth and families.
- Youth leadership/civic engagement, to address the social conditions that drive violent and antisocial behavior, and to involve young people in identifying the policies, practices and programmatic gaps that lead to disparate treatment in the justice system.
Key Partners
The Metropolitan Police Department, Cure Violence, the District’s Deputy Mayors and the Deputy City Administrator, the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) Office of Resident Services, community navigators, and DCHA Resident Council
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