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Buncombe JCPC approves priorities after YAHSI review showing racial disparities and rising substance use
Summary
At its Dec. 18 meeting the Buncombe County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council approved a ranked set of funding priorities after a planning committee review of YAHSI data that showed declines in referrals but persistent racial disparities and increases in youth substance use and aggression.
The Buncombe County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council voted Dec. 18 to adopt a set of ranked priorities that will guide local requests for proposals and future allocations after the planning committee presented youth assessment data showing mixed trends.
The planning committee, led by Angie Garner, reported that court counselors completed 258 YAHSI assessments in the July 2024–June 2025 fiscal year (down from 311 the prior year). The committee said 277 complaints were filed in that period involving 132 individual youth, and school‑based complaints dropped to 96 — a 71% decrease from two years earlier.
At the same time the committee raised concerns about racial disparity and rising behavioral‑health indicators. "We still see extreme racial equity data that we need to work on," Hannah Legerton, youth justice manager for Buncombe County, told the council, noting that this year’s school‑based complaints were 36% white youth, 44% Black youth, 16% Hispanic youth and 4% other races while the county’s 6–17 population is about 73% white and 9% Black (2023 census figures).
The committee also reported increases in mental‑health and substance‑use indicators. Garner summarized assessment responses showing substance use rose to 40% this year (up from 34% last year) and that questions about aggression and weapon display increased to 13% of youth assessed compared with 7% in the prior year.
Members debated prevention and service models during the presentation and Q&A. Several speakers urged embedding substance‑use and mental‑health supports into existing youth programs and expanding peer‑support and parent education, rather than relying solely on one‑on‑one counseling. "Kids are more comfortable in a group setting," Garner said when describing program design preferences raised in the planning committee.
After discussion the council moved to adopt the planning committee’s risk‑and‑needs report and its ranked priorities for the coming funding cycle. The priorities list is administrative guidance that determines which program types will be eligible to apply when RFPs are issued; Buncombe is on a two‑year funding cycle, so allocations committees will use the approved priorities when money is available.
The motion to approve the report and priorities passed by voice vote of members present; virtual members were asked to indicate assent.
What comes next: staff will add a census breakdown slide to the report appendix to provide clearer racial‑demographic context, and the planning and allocations committees will use the approved priorities to shape future solicitations and monitoring work.
