Little Rock is seeking a consultant who has developed a youth master plan within the last five years to offer their services in the city.
The city's Community Programs Department put out a request for qualifications Friday in search of someone who can devise a strategy plan to help youths who are involved in or at a high risk of being involved in gangs, juvenile delinquency or other negative behaviors.
For years, the Little Rock Board of Directors has asked that the city come up with a comprehensive plan that includes methods of gauging the success of its current programs targeted toward youth prevention and intervention and community enhancement.
Little Rock voters approved a half-percent sales tax in 1993 to fund prevention, intervention and treatment programs in response to a high volume of gang activity in the city. Three years later, the city established its Community Programs Department to administer youth and community programs.
"We've been doing the same thing since the '90s, and we don't know if it's working," Ward 6 City Director and Vice Mayor Doris Wright said Monday. "I want a cohesive plan that is not so haphazard. I want us working toward a central goal. I want to know all of the resources that are available in this city for prevention programs and I want the city to be the centerpiece."
The city will accept responses to its request for qualifications until 4 p.m. Nov. 7 at City Hall. The request calls for a long-term, sustainable plan that will "directly improve and enhance the overall quality of life" for youth in the city.
The consultant chosen will be required to come up with evidence-based academic, social and cultural opportunities that "will empower youth." To qualify, the consultant must have developed a youth master plan that has been implemented in the past five years, have or agree to purchase a Little Rock business license and have a local partner in the city to ensure community inclusiveness.
Applicants' proximity to Little Rock will be a factor in the scoring. A review committee will also analyze the submissions based on specialized experience, capability, past record, familiarity with Little Rock and the level of responsiveness to the qualifications request.
At-large City Director Joan Adcock said it's about time the city put out the request. A timeline calls for the consultant to be chosen and get started by January and complete the plan by August.
The youth master plan should be ready to be presented and implemented by September, though the consultant wouldn't be required to carry out the plan. Implementation will be handled under a separate contract for services.
"I hope this shows the outcomes and measures we need to be looking at," Adcock said. "One of my problems is so many of these young people that are the problem today -- who are involved in these murders, robberies and everything -- these are the young kids who have grown up in Little Rock. If we have spent $60 million to show these young people the right way, why do we have so many problems now? What have we missed that we have not had a better outcome?"
Ward 2 City Director Ken Richardson said he takes issue with calling the document a youth master plan.
"Why are we not calling it a children, youth and families comprehensive plan?" Richardson asked. "Who are we mastering? If we are calling it a youth master plan, does that suggest we are taking away from the [felony] re-entry portion of prevention and intervention funds? Does that suggest we are eliminating domestic violence? Are we doing away with treatment dollars?
"When you call it a youth master plan, I think that may send the wrong signal and message to the community about how we allocate these resources, the intent and focus on what our priorities are," he added.
The request for proposals mentions the need to engage the youths' families and the community in addition to just the youths, but the plan will not address the Community Programs Department's adult services, such as the felony re-entry program, Department Director Dana Dossett said Monday.
Richardson also said he is skeptical of having an outside firm go into the city when there are experts in Little Rock who have dealt with the issues for two decades. Dossett said working with an outside consultant will help the city "gain an unbiased, totally objective view of possibilities."
"We will use that information to integrate new procedures to complement the success we are already experiencing with existing programs," she said.
Metro on 10/21/2014