FY23: During the second half of the fiscal year, Baltimore Brothers, Inc. Thriving Youth partner was below target on two of the eight Better Off measures. The Better Off #5 measure, on the #/% of youth who feel the program provided the resources and supports needed to avoid re-engagement with the juvenile justice system, is 0 for the total actual number for the second half of FY23, resulting in the target remaining 0 for the year; and Better Off #6 measure, on the #/% of participants reporting increased knowledge or skill development as a result of the program, was still 0 for the second half of the fiscal year. The challenge that contributed to the unmet targets was: The lack of survey completion for the youth who completed the program. Youth did not complete the discharge survey at the time of their discharge.

FY21: At the close of FY21, the Baltimore Brothers Thriving Youth partner was not able to report on two of the four How Well measures and four of the five Better Off measures. As mentioned in the FY2021HFY1 report, the Thriving Youth Strategy programming start date was delayed due to coordination challenges and the impacts of COVID-19. Notwithstanding the fact that the partner was only able to offer services 6 out of the 12-months within the fiscal year, the performance targets established with Baltimore Brothers at the start of contracting was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing requirements that impacted engagement opportunities. The How Well measure on the #/% of youth who have a re-entry plan was modified shortly after programming got underway. This was done to allow for both youth who have a release date and youth who have a re-entry plan. This allows services to be provided to youth who have been released and are no longer under the supervision of DJS and wish to engage in programming that will aid them in meeting specific goals. The second How Well measure that assesses the #/% of youth who were re-engaged in school and/or obtained employment was not reported on due to the impacts of the pandemic. Social distancing requirements, a lack of employment opportunities for the target age group, and the virtual learning requirements all negatively impacted employment opportunities and the desire to want to attend school. By the close of Q4 of FY21 this partner saw an increase in job opportunities for youth with the various YouthWorks and Summer Youth workforce development opportunities throughout Baltimore.  

The Better off measure of #/% of youth who completed the school year and/or obtained a GED was zero because youth are still enrolled in services. This measure is assessed at discharge, keeping in mind Thriving Youth strategy services span anywhere from 6 to 12 months depending on the needs of the youth. The Better Off measure on #/% of youth who were still employed three months after obtaining employment services of could not be measured at the time of the fiscal close because none of the youth connected to employment and or workforce development opportunities had not been employed for 3-months or more. The Better Off Measure on the #/% of youth who feel the program provided the resources and supports needed to avoid re-engagement with the juvenile justice system also could not be measured during 4th Quarter reporting because youth have not yet begun to be discharged from programming. The final Better Off measure on the #/% of youth who successfully complete the diversion program (versus formal system processing) was not able to be accessed at the time of Q4 RBA reporting. This measure will be reported on when youth start to discharge from services.  

FY23: Funding will support Baltimore Brothers, Inc. as they work to address the needs of young people who have been involved with the juvenile justice system. Overall, the FY23 Thriving Youth strategy will continue to focus on early intervention for young people who have been involved with the juvenile justice system, preventing subsequent involvement. The FY23 strategy will also include prevention of initial involvement with the juvenile justice system. Participants will receive holistic support and resources that are strengths-based, trauma-informed, and grounded in youth voice and choice.

FY21: Thriving Youth Programs are critical in responding to the needs of justice-involved youth in Baltimore. In FY21, Thriving Youth programming is being provided by two community-based programs to begin addressing the wide range of multi-generational cycles of incarceration, unemployment, and violence within families in Baltimore. The two Thriving Youth programs funded for FY21 are Baltimore Brothers, Inc., and the Choice Program at UMBC. This report will highlight performance outcomes of Baltimore Brothers. The Baltimore Brothers Thriving Youth program provides re-entry planning and navigation for both detained youth and their families, and for youth who are not detained by offering community-based programming focused on addressing the holistic needs of youth once they re-renter their communities, with focus on re-engaging youth with school and/or work.  

Baltimore Brothers provides youth with voluntary and non-punitive, trauma responsive mentorship, mental health supports, and family counseling, life skills development, civic engagement volunteer opportunities, violence intervention services re-entry programming , conflict management, financial literacy, job and stipend opportunities, assistance with obtaining vital documents (I.D., birth certificate, academic transcripts), and when we need referrals to formal counseling resources with community-based service providers. 

FY23: In FY23, this investment will continue to focus on early intervention for young people who have been involved with the juvenile justice system, preventing subsequent involvement. The strategy will also be evolving to include prevention of initial involvement with the juvenile justice system. Baltimore Brothers will continue to support (1) youth leaving detention after a case has been dismissed; (2) youth on community detention, electronic monitoring, or evening reporting center that have a case dismissed; (3) youth on Pre-Court Supervision that require service navigation or school support; (4) youth that are referred to Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), but DJS resolves the case; and (5) youth/families that contact DJS for support, without a delinquency complaint. Young people who were detained and released prior to FY22 are also eligible for programming. Young people ages 11-17 are eligible for services via the FY23 Thriving Youth strategy.

FY21: The Thriving Youth programming’s target population is being met through a city-wide focused on supporting 70 youth ages 14-17 across both Thriving Youth service providers despite the late start to programming. Targeted youth eligible for services include: (1) youth leaving detention after a case has been dismissed; (2) youth on community detention, electronic monitoring, or evening reporting center that have a case dismissed; (3) youth on Pre-Court Supervision that require service navigation or school support; (4) youth that are referred to DJS, but DJS resolves the case; and (5) youth/families that contact DJS for support, without a delinquency complaint. The Baltimore Brothers program is working to serve 50 of the 70 targeted youths involved in the juvenile justice system, boys and young men of color, youth at-risk of gang affiliation, and youth who are out of work and out of school (Opportunity Youth). With numbers increasing around younger youth at-risk of engaging in delinquent behaviors, the program is committed to supporting re-entry needs for Baltimore City residents ages 11-18. 

FY23: A success that highlights the impact of the Baltimore Brothers on youth, families, and the Oliver Street community during the second half of FY24 is their commitment to the improvement of the community. During the second half of FY23, Learning How Child donated a 15-passenger van to the Baltimore Brothers Thriving Youth Program. While many of the program participants live within the community where the program is located, most of them attend a school outside the community and not on a direct bus line to be on time for programming, so the program is now able to provide transportation assistance as a means of barrier removal. Another impact worthy of highlighting is one of a young male teen who successfully completed the Baltimore Brothers Thriving Youth Program in May who during the ceremony stood up proudly and shared how the program helped his stay out of trouble and have a new outlook on life. He also shared how he knows “the staff and mentors at the Baltimore Brothers program loves him and it feels good to be loved.” When the youth enrolled, he was experiencing anger, getting into trouble in the community, and was on a path of self-destruction. The youth was brought to the Baltimore Brothers Thriving Youth program on a night when they were hosting a Teen Summit on Community Violence and How to Manage Conflict. Sometime during the open discussion on the many losses in our community the youth was triggered by the topic and stood up abruptly then ran into a corner in visible pain and hurt. The youth was supported by staff who learned that he was dealing with two losses of immediate family members. They learned he had experienced the recent death of a caretaker due to health complication, but it was the discussion on guns in the community coupled with the recent loss of his older teen brother in a senseless shooting in the Edmondson Village Shopping Center that had the young male and his family in so much pain. The Baltimore Brothers Thriving Youth program staff rallied around the young man and his family. The mom enrolled youth into the program to help keep him engaged in positive activities programming and to help ensure he would have opportunities to heal from such a traumatic loss. Through the youth's engagement with the program, and frequent engagement with mentors the young man was able to successfully complete the school year and was promoted to the 10th grade. The program staff assisted the youth’s mother and older cousin with getting employment, and while the youth has completed the program, he has remained connected and stops by often to visit mentors and staff. The youth last reported having a YouthWorks summer job and was doing well.

FY21: At the close of the Fiscal Year, a highlight worth noting is that Baltimore Brothers was able to refer 4 youth to employment opportunities which were successfully obtained. Baltimore Brothers also reported servicing 6 youth that graduated from high school in June.  

FY2021 Jan-Jun:

#/% of youth who were re-engaged in school and/or obtained employment 

#/% of youth who feel the program provided the resources and supports needed to avoid re-engagement with the juvenile justice system 

#/% of youth who successfully complete the diversion program (versus formal system processing) 

These measures are measured at discharge. The program started in December with the first participant beginning programming on 12/15/20. No participants have been discharged at this time. Data on the measures will be available by FY22 Q2. 

#/% of youth who completed the school year and/or obtained a GED 

No youth were out of school at enrollment.  

#/% of youth who were still employed three months after obtaining employment 

This measure is measured 3-months after youth obtain employment. The program started in December with the first participant beginning programming on 12/15/20. The program has not been operational long enough at the close of the first half of FY21 to assess these measures. Data on the measures will be available by FY22 Q2. 

#/% of youth who have a re-entry plan prior to release 

Due to COVID-19 and the subsequent emphasis on diverting youth from detainment, the scope of this project was adjusted to allow for youth who are not detained to be referred to this program, thus the definition of the How Well, #/% of youth who have a re-entry plan prior to release, had to be adjusted to account for the fact that not all youth referred to the program will have a release date. the definition of the denominator for this measure had to be adjusted from # of youth who have a re-entry plan to # of youth who have a release date and re-entry plan.