The commission emphasized the need to fulfill the promises of American democracy for all citizens, regardless of their racial, ethnic, or minority backgrounds, including urban and rural populations.
Consequently, the commission advocated for well-funded and sustained federal investments in various areas, such as employment, job training, education, housing, income support, civil rights enforcement, and police reform.
The combination of being a young, impoverished male with limited education and no means of escape from a challenging urban environment, coupled with a desire for what society deems available but predominantly accessible to others, and witnessing illegitimate and often violent methods used to achieve material success with impunity, create an immense influence that draws many towards criminality and delinquency.
Additional funding from the Department of Health and Human Services enabled the establishment of a weatherization business that generated employment opportunities for unemployed young adults.
Although the evaluation conducted by Rutgers University lacked control or comparison groups, it revealed a significant decline in criminal involvement among program participants, contrasting with a different pattern observed in Adams Morgan and Washington, D.C. as a whole.
[3] Securing additional funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and other sources, the Foundation introduced its neighborhood-based prevention programs in other locations, with staff providing technical assistance to strengthen the institutional capacity of local nonprofit organizations.
This model combined two concepts: the Carnegie Corporation's 1992 report, "A Matter of Time," which highlighted the vulnerability of inner-city youth during after-school hours,[4] and the Japanese idea of neighborhood police administration called "koban," which is credited with contributing to Japan's low crime rates.
Upon their return, delegates with the most interest in the concept were funded by the Foundation to implement a combination of safe haven programs inspired by Carnegie and Koban-inspired police administration.
In addition to the examples mentioned above, other cities that have experienced evidence-based success with the Safe Haven-Ministation model include Columbia, SC; Canton, OH; Jackson, MS; Baltimore, MD; and Dover, NH.
Various media outlets, including ABC, CBS, BBC, the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Economist, Ashai Evening News, Mianchi Shimbun, and regional newspapers, have covered the Safe Haven-Ministation programs.
[7] The Foundation's goal is to expand the implementation of Safe Haven-Ministations in more cities, motivated by the racial tensions that exist between minority youth and the police in the United States.
The model offers the potential to simultaneously reduce crime, alleviate citizen fear, improve the lives of children and youth, and enhance community-police trust.
With support from the Department of Justice and private sector resources, the Foundation provided funding to local nonprofit organizations to target high-risk racial minority youth in high schools located in inner-city neighborhoods.
The outcomes were statistically significant, leading to the recognition of Quantum as an exemplary evidence-based model by peer reviewers and organizations like the Department of Justice, the National Mentoring Resource Center, and Child Trends.
As part of its multiple solutions approach, the Foundation plans to replicate Quantum in combination with Argus at the exact locations, targeting high school students and dropouts.
The report summarizes the Foundation's demonstrations, describes the next generation of private-sector ventures, and proposes new national policies for inner cities based on practical experience.