Calling on the Council Committee on Finance to Hold Hearings for a Call to Action to Stop the Violence by Providing Additional Funding for Job Training Programs, Extended Hours of Operation for School and Recreation Facilities, Extended TANF Benefits for those Working in Schools and Neighborhoods and Tax Credits and other Initiatives for Reintegrating Ex-offenders.

WHEREAS, Youth violence has reached epidemic proportions in the City of Philadelphia resulting in more than 270 murders and more than 1300 shootings just this year; and

WHEREAS, Youth in their teens and early twenties constitute the largest demographic of perpetrators and victims of violence; and

WHEREAS, More funding for keeping Class A Recreation Centers open until 10p.m. on weekdays and 12a.m. on weekends would give youth a constructive alternative to destructive behaviors and violence; and

WHEREAS, More funding from all levels of government is needed for after-school and summer programs; and

WHEREAS, Reducing poverty is a critical factor in reducing crime and violence; and

WHEREAS, More funding is needed for job training programs like the Fleetway Program for training professional car detailers, and the Mantua Community Improvement Committee for training in neighborhood beautification and landscaping; and

WHEREAS, Allowing those receiving TANF benefits to meet work requirements by volunteering in public schools would permit them to obtain work experience while providing much needed support to students and teachers; and

WHEREAS, Young adults and others returning from incarceration, find it difficult to secure transitional housing and jobs and therefore, find it nearly impossible to successfully re-enter their communities; and

WHEREAS, City correctional facilities release some 35,000 ex-offenders back into the community each year; and

WHEREAS, The Work Opportunity Tax Credit of $2400.00 for hiring ex-offenders is an important initiative designed to reduce recidivism; and

WHEREAS, The Federal Government should double the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to employers that hire ex-offenders; and

WHEREAS, Post-release job training, placement, mentoring and other services are essential to reintegrating ex-offenders into communities; now therefore

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Calls on the Council Committee on Finance to Hold Hearings for a Call to Action to Stop the Violence by Providing Additional Funding for Job Training Programs, Extended Hours of Operation for School and Recreation Facilities, Extended TANF Benefits for those Working in Schools and Neighborhoods and Tax Credits and other Initiatives for Reintegrating Ex-offenders.

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