GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

EXTRA SESSION 1994

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 117

Short Title:  Durham Impact/CHOICE Funds.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Luebke; Easterling, Mosley, Michaux, Jeffus, and G. Miller.
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Referred to:  Appropriations.
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February 14, 1994

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THE DURHAM IMPACT PROGRAM AND THE COALITION FOR HOLISTIC OPPORTUNITIES IN CHILDREN'S EDUCATION.
Whereas, Durham County has realized sharp increases in juvenile crime, teen-age pregnancy, school dropout rates, children with AIDS/HIV infection, and drug and alcohol abuse among young people; and
Whereas, the average age of the juvenile offender is continuing to drop, and their crimes are becoming more extreme; and
Whereas, Durham County is ranked 10th in the State for the number of juveniles in detention or training schools; and
Whereas, more than one out of every five children in Durham County lives in poverty, and 27% of Durham's children are in single parent families; and
Whereas, over the past three years, reports of child abuse and neglect in Durham County have increased 33%; and
Whereas, in addition to increased numbers of teen-age pregnancies and substance abuse among young people, insufficient medical attention is reaching crisis levels among the young; and
Whereas, Durham County has the highest percentage of young people with AIDS/HIV infection in North Carolina; and
Whereas, since the fall of the 1987-88 school year, more than 3,500 students have dropped out of Durham's public schools; and
Whereas, the National Dropout Prevention Center reports that each high school dropout is three times more likely to be arrested, two times more likely to be unemployed, and six times more likely to be a single parent; and
Whereas, Durham Companions is a private, nonprofit agency that provides holistic, early intervention programs for at-risk youth and their families; and
Whereas, in July of 1993, Durham Companions created The Coalition for Holistic Opportunities in Children's Education, or CHOICE, which offered services to 34 middle-school aged children referred by court intake officers, school counselors, law enforcement officials, health care providers, and parents; and
Whereas, CHOICE recognizes that the problems facing at-risk children are multifaceted and complex, and that no single issue can be adequately addressed by itself; and
Whereas, CHOICE is a multiple-intervention strategy and a high-dosage program designed in a "whole child" effort, operating for two months during the summer and two weeks during the winter holiday season; and
Whereas, CHOICE offers tutors to assist in educational remediation, wide-scale counseling on violence prevention, workshops to teach parents about children's issues of health, education, and conflict-mediation, special health segments on substance abuse and teen pregnancy, and group cultural and recreational activities aimed at goal setting and enhancing self-esteem in at-risk youth; and
Whereas, in March of 1982, Durham Companions created Durham Impact using the Governor's One-on-One program model to provide mentors and monthly group events for children who show potential risk for criminal involvement; and
Whereas, both CHOICE and Durham Impact have set the foundation for improved academic performance, social development, and reduction in subsequent court involvement; and
Whereas, 100% of the children served in CHOICE and Durham Impact have stayed in school and out of trouble; and
Whereas, Durham Companions has successfully established an unprecedented coordination of services in Durham County to assist at-risk youth, including law enforcement, social services, mental health services, substance abuse services, public schools, parks and recreation, service corps, community health centers, parenting initiatives for education, and dispute settlement center; and
Whereas, CHOICE and Durham Impact have been recognized as programs of excellence by the Greater Triangle Community Foundations and by the the national media as model programs for the entire county; and
Whereas, currently, CHOICE and Durham Impact rely on donations and grant proposals and require direct State funds to continue to provide services to Durham's youth; and
Whereas, Durham Companions programs provide innovative, cost-effective prevention and intervention strategies that have proven successful; and
Whereas, Durham County is facing, if left unchecked, a population of children with no resources, sentenced even by kindergarten age to live out lives of criminal activity, academic under-achievement, unemployment, or incarceration; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to Durham Companions, Inc., a nonprofit organization, the sum of eighty-eight thousand four hundred thirty-two dollars ($88,432) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to be allocated as follows:
(1)	$51,432 for The Coalition for Holistic Opportunities in Children's Education; and
(2)	$37,000 for the Durham Impact program.
The Department of Human Resources, Division of Youth Services, and the Department of Public Instruction may provide monitoring and technical assistance for these programs.
Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1994.