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Big Homie Mentoring describes outreach in District 5; program reports reductions in fights and entrepreneurship outcomes
Summary
Big Homie Mentoring told the council it serves hundreds of Pierce County youth (about 300 in its tracking system), most from District 5, and described evaluation results showing reductions in violent or risky behavior, as well as sustained entrepreneurship supports through a Juneteenth youth market.
Lorraine Stone, executive director of Big Homie Mentoring, briefed the Pierce County Council on her organization's mentorship model, outcomes tracking and community programs serving District 5 youth.
Stone described a layered mentoring approach based on long‑term relationships, weekly peer groups and one‑to‑one goal‑setting with paid mentors who receive training in mediation, trauma‑informed care and youth development. She said the program currently has roughly 300 youth in its system, serves countywide clients with a concentration in District 5, and contracts with an external evaluator to measure outcomes.
Stone said the evaluation showed a roughly 15 percent decrease in the proportion of participants involved in physical fights during the first 60 days of engagement, and cited increases in driver's license attainment and reductions in risky behavior among current cohorts. She described the Juneteenth youth market and entrepreneurship supports that have produced about 80 youth businesses over several years.
Councilmembers asked how youth are referred (school counselors, juvenile courts, outreach) and whether the program follows participants after they age out; Stone said they have longstanding relationships with many alumni but do not have a formal multi‑year tracking system. Asked about budget, Stone said annual operating support typically runs between about $300,000 and $500,000, with some grants recently awarded.
No formal action followed the presentation; members praised the program's community impact and encouraged continued partnership with schools and county partners.
