Replication
Roca In Springfield, MA
In July 2010, Roca launched its first replication effort in Springfield, MA. Roca is targeting young people (ages 17-24) who are street, court, or gang involved, disengaged, unable to participate in other programs, and who have dropped out of school. The project is intensively serving 50 young people in two targeted neighborhoods through the Intervention Model. A high priority among Roca’s organizational objectives, is establishing transitional employment programming to increase the number of long-term employment opportunities and to create new jobs.
"Roca has successfully helped thousands of high-risk young people in Greater Boston to change their lives and become productive members of society for the past 21 years. Roca will be a great resource in Springfield to help us all reduce gun and gang related violence and help our high-risk young people find their way to positive and fulfilling lives that contribute to, rather than take from, the community."
For the past two years, Roca has been working with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department in this effort, and they remain Roca’s primary partner on this project. Secondary partners include the City of Springfield and the Springfield Police Department.
The City of Springfield faces some difficult challenges:
- The violent crime rate is the second highest in Massachusetts
- The poverty rate is almost three times the average city in Massachusetts
- Incarceration rates for juveniles is over two and a half times the state average
The fact is Springfield can reverse this dangerous trend. Using the proven strategic intervention practices developed by Roca high risk youth can become productive citizens. Roca is working with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department (HCSD) to bring its High-Risk Youth Intervention Model to Springfield. In fact, Roca has already trained HCSD officials, and put together a work crew of seven high-risk youth offenders that has been working in the community since May 2009.
