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Gresham program expands into Wood Village with $2.5 million in state funding for youth violence prevention
Summary
Presenters said EMOPI (East Multnomah Outreach, Prevention and Intervention) expanded from Gresham to cover 82nd Ave through Corbett after receiving $2.5 million in state funds; they described partnerships with 16 organizations, MOUs with local school districts, and metrics including serving 15,000+ youth since March 2022.
City and county partners told the council that an East Multnomah County youth-violence prevention program has expanded service to Wood Village after additional state funding.
"We were awarded an additional $2,500,000 for the final year here that ends on 06/30/2025," said Emon Gassemi, the program manager who presented the EMOPI update. He said the expanded service area now runs from 82nd Avenue to Corbett and includes more than 50,000 youth in total across the region.
Marcel Frazier of the city manager's office described EMOPI’s wraparound and intensive case-management approach for the highest-risk individuals and listed partners that provide therapy, life coaching and workforce development. Presenters said EMOPI partners include community organizations (Going Home 2, POIC, Elevate Oregon, REAP, HOLA, Project 48, New Avenues for Youth) and that memorandums of understanding are in place with multiple school districts including Centennial, Reynolds, Park Rose and David Douglas.
EMOPI officials said the program has reached more than 15,000 youth and families since launching in March 2022 and pointed to a recent indicator of progress: "343 — that was the last time a youth was killed in Gresham City limits," Gassemi said, noting that day counts are used as one measure of local improvements but that the program is one part of a broader set of safety strategies. Presenters emphasized that services funded by the grant are free to participants.
Councilors asked about referral pathways, information-sharing with law enforcement, and which providers serve Fairview and Wood Village; presenters said referral sources include the behavior-safety assessment team and school referrals, and that the program coordinates with police and contracted community providers on follow-up and consent-based safety checks.
Presenters asked the council to support ongoing engagement and to invite the program to community events and school tabling so residents can learn about available services.
