Alarmed by federal budget cuts that forced the firing of more than a dozen youth workers at public housing projects, Mayor Thomas M. Menino has pledged $400,000 to hire replacement mentors for some of Boston's poorest children.
"I got a lot of complaints from people about this. They see how effective youth workers are in these developments," Menino said. "They are the eyes and ears of the police department, plus they help these kids get to the different programs we have."
The Boston Housing Authority has tapped community groups to run the after-school activities that once were supported by the Public Housing Drug Elimination Pro gram, which the federal government scrapped in December. But it didn't have the money to replace the dozen or so youth workers who counseled the children, forging personal relationships that went beyond the activities they planned. The $400,000 in city money, combined with $200,000 from the BHA, will fund the hiring of 15 youth workers who will concentrate on children in public housing.
"The role of the youth workers went beyond just providing those direct services. What was really being cut out was the kind of connection the youth workers made to the children of families in BHA housing," said Juanita B. Wade, Menino's human services chief. "They helped them get access to summer jobs, worked with law enforcement on issues of youth violence, and connected teenagers to adolescent health programs."
Boston Youth Connections, a city program, will hire the new workers, adding them to its roster of 28 workers at 42 community centers across the city. Unlike the current workers, however, the new hires will be assigned to specific public housing sites.
Menino will include the $400,000 in his fiscal 2003 budget, the tightest in his nine years as mayor. The City Council will hold a hearing on the plan tonight. Menino said he and his staff found the money by trimming administrative costs in youth programs, but couldn't be more specific. Lydia Agro, a BHA spokeswoman, said her agency gleaned its $200,000 in a similar process.
"You don't want any of the kids to fall through the cracks," she said. "It's important that they have a person who knows them, is connected to them, and knows what kind of programs and services would be best for them and where they are available."
