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Philly will open 3 evening resource centers next month as part of effort to stem gun violence

The centers will provide services to young people and their parents

A group of mothers gather at the Dixon House in South Philadelphia to put together submissions for the Gun Violence Memorial Project. Diversified Community Services, which runs the site, will also operate an evening resource center for youth starting in December.
A group of mothers gather at the Dixon House in South Philadelphia to put together submissions for the Gun Violence Memorial Project. Diversified Community Services, which runs the site, will also operate an evening resource center for youth starting in December.Read moreEd Newton
    by Ximena Conde
    Updated 
    Published 

Philadelphia is slated to open three community evening resource centers, meant to connect at-risk youth with services and a safe place to go at night, during the second week of December.

The city’s Department of Human Services on Monday announced the three community-based organizations that will operate the facilities, as city officials seek effective solutions to stem gun violence.

“We need to work creatively and on multiple fronts to reduce gun violence in our city and expanding the use of community evening resource centers — a proven tactic — is a good tool as part of a multi-pronged approach to engaging at-risk youth and steering them away from negative paths,” said Council President Darrell L. Clarke in a statement.

As of Sunday, police recorded 458 homicides in the city and 3,565 shootings, increases of 10% and 7%, respectively, from the same time last year.

Minors have not been exempt from violence. To date, 185 people under 18 have been shot in Philadelphia this year.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said she hoped the centers could offer young people an alternative to being on the street after curfew.

“These centers will provide valuable resources and programming designed to engage and teach our kids to make more positive choices about where to spend their time at night,” Outlaw said in a statement.

According to the Department of Human Services, the resource centers, which will operate between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m., are in neighborhoods in most need of support:

  1. North Philly: Youth Advocate Programs will operate a center at 900 W. Jefferson St. for young people who live in the 24th, 25th, and 26th Police Districts.

  2. Southwest Philly: Community of Compassion CDC Inc. will run a facility at 6150 Cedar Ave. serving youth who live in the 12th, 16th, 18th, and 19th Police Districts.

  3. South Philadelphia: Diversified Community Services, which runs the Dixon House at 1920 S. 20th St., will run the center that serves young people in the 1st, 3rd, and 17th Police Districts.

The centers are slated to receive close to $2 million in city funding from the $155 million the city set aside for anti-violence spending.

According to the Department of Human Services, the centers are slated to “help our young people manage conflicts, address trauma, and receive mentorship and support in a safe environment.” The centers will also host a monthly “parent night” to support guardians.

In the past, minors found by police past curfew and with no guardian to take them home would spend the night at a police station.

Mayor Jim Kenney signed changes to the city’s curfew law in August. In addition to removing punitive fines for curfew violations, the law tweaked curfew times for minors.

Children younger than 13 now have a 9:30 p.m. curfew, 14- to 16-year-olds need to be home by 10, and minors older than 16 can stay out until midnight.

A spokesperson for the department said the long-term goal is to expand the program to six resource centers.

Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.