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Dallas council committee backs $300,000 amendment to HUD plan for youth violence-interruption programming
Summary
Councilman Zaren Gracie moved at a committee-of-the-whole meeting May 21 to create a $300,000, line item in Dallas’ FY 2025–26 HUD consolidated plan for a violence-interruption and youth reengagement program and to shift the money from the plan’s drivers-of-poverty allocation.
Councilman Zaren Gracie moved in a committee of the whole on May 21 to amend the city’s proposed fiscal-year 2025–26 HUD consolidated plan budget by creating a new line item for a violence-interruption program and moving $300,000 from the existing “drivers of poverty” line to that new purpose.
The motion: Gracie described the change as a targeted, data-driven investment to support youth-focused violence-prevention activities and to align with the city’s youth strategic planning and the Dallas Youth Safety Collaborative. He said the funds could support contracts with community-based organizations for youth reengagement, family supports and victim services and asked staff to use mapping and data (including the Lone Star Justice Alliance dashboard) to direct the funds.
Committee action and context: the council moved into a committee of the whole to consider the amendment. Committee-of-the-whole deliberations are advisory and non-binding; after discussion the council conducted a straw (seal) vote and a majority raised seals to indicate support for the amendment. Staff described a program model in which the city would issue a competitive solicitation to choose a program administrator; the administrator would manage subcontracts and the reporting burden for multiple community providers and would help align services with the youth strategic plan and school-district partners.
What the amendment would change: the proposal removes $300,000 from the broader drivers-of-poverty allocation (a public‑services category constrained by CDBG caps) and puts it into a separate, dedicated violence-interruption/youth-safety line to be administered by the city through a program administrator and community providers. Staff said existing contracts providing violence-interruption services would continue while the new program is developed.
Next steps and caveats: staff said the program would be implemented with an RFP for an administering partner and then by contracting with community organizations; the city will ensure CDBG eligibility and compliance in the solicitation and contracting process. The committee vote was advisory; the full consolidated-plan budget and any amendments will be finalized when council returns the item to the voting agenda.
Ending: council members emphasized the need to ensure the program complements existing services, includes mental-health and family supports, and uses strategic, data-driven site selection to direct funds where they will have the most impact.
