The Andrews Labor Government today announced a $700,000 grant for the Dandenong community to tackle youth crime and repeat offending.<\/p>\n
The Dandenong Youth Crime Prevention project is one of 18 projects across Victoria to share in $7.6 million of funding from the Youth Crime Prevention Grants program.<\/p>\n
Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS) will lead the project in partnership with 15 locally based partner organisations, including Victoria Police and City of Greater Dandenong.<\/p>\n
The community-led program will provide intensive support for young people in Dandenong aged between 15 and 22 years who have been identified as serious or recidivist offenders, to create a pathway away from offending.<\/p>\n
It will provide tailored support through individual and group programs, family interventions and after-hours activities to bring about a positive change in the lives of the young people.<\/p>\n
The Youth Crime Prevention Grants are part of the government\u2019s ongoing work to address the underlying causes of youth crime and repeat offending.<\/p>\n
The grants provide funding for community-led projects that work with young people aged between 10 and 24.<\/p>\n
The government has also funded 42 additional police Youth Resource Officers to work in local communities and divert young people from a life of crime.<\/p>\n
The additional staff are part of the government\u2019s record $2 billion Community Safety Statement, which includes thousands more police, new powers, equipment and additional measures to hold young offenders to account.<\/p>\n