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Boston council committee reviews $3.97 million SSYI grant to expand youth violence services
Summary
The City Council committee reviewed a proposed $3,966,900 state Safe and Successful Youth Initiative grant to be administered by the Boston Police Department with case management by the Boston Public Health Commission, focusing on 17–24-year-olds deemed at 'proven risk.' Councilors pressed staff on partner organizations, referral pathways and program metrics.
The Boston City Council Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice reviewed a proposed $3,966,900 grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services to support the city’s Safe and Successful Youth Initiative on Dec. 4, 2025.
Frank DeLuca, SSYI program coordinator for the Boston Police Department, told the committee the grant will fund a combined public-health and public-safety effort aimed at individuals ages 17 to 24 identified as "proven risk." He said the department contracts with the Boston Public Health Commission to provide case management and that contracted service providers include More Than Words, Inner City Weightlifting, Catholic Charities Boston and Boston Medical Center. "The city of Boston's been awarded over $3,900,000 in grant funding," DeLuca said during his presentation.
Councilors asked how the program measures success beyond arrests and crime statistics. DeLuca and Roy Martin, SSYI director at the Boston Public Health Commission, described primary metrics as engagement (whether referred participants enroll and stay), programmatic indicators in education, employment and behavioral health, and retention of case-management relationships. "The first metric is engagement," DeLuca said, adding that the program tracks enrollment, length of engagement and outcomes in education and employment.
Members also pressed staff on geographic reach and referral pathways. Program staff said referrals come from law-enforcement sources, reentry partners and the court system and acknowledged referral practices vary by neighborhood; they flagged the need for clearer referral instructions so community partners know how to refer eligible clients into SSYI. Councilors and staff discussed the program’s place in a broader continuum that includes prevention work for younger youths and other services for older adults.
The hearing produced no vote on the grant today; Chair Henry Santana said the committee will file a report and make a recommendation at the council’s next meeting.
What happens next: the committee will include a recommendation in its report to the full City Council, which will consider the grant as part of its agenda the following week.
