Guilford County Government is allocating $390,000 to One Step Further.

The executive director of One Step Further is former mayor and current Greensboro City Councilmember Yvonne Johnson.

Of that funding $140,000 is to support a host of services that benefit the county and its residents – things like Adult Mediation Services, Juvenile Mediation Services, Guilford County Teen Court, Guilford County Juvenile Community Service-Restitution, the Community-Offender Resource Program, Family Factor, Junior/Senior Life Skills and, last but not least, the Community Support & Nutrition Program.

The County is also giving the One Step Further $250,000 for the organization to use in Greensboro’s Cure Violence effort.

These funds will be put to work in the current fiscal year that started on July 1 and ends on June 30 of 2024.

Here’s a list of stated objectives that Guilford County leaders would like to see accomplished in that time, using the initial $140,000 …

  • 94 percent of clients will successfully complete the program components, including workplace survival, job readiness, and Family/Parenting Skills.
  • 75 percent of clients who complete workplace survival/job readiness will secure employment within 60 days.
  • 90 percent of clients who complete one or more service components will not engage in further offenses within 6 months after completing the program.
  • 90 percent of Community-Offender Resource Program clients who complete the program evaluation will demonstrate a better understanding of how their behavior or offense caused conflicts with others – and they’ll be able to identify at least two effective communication and problem-solving techniques.

Additionally, the other amount – $250,000 – will go to Cure Violence as part of the Gate City Coalition.

One Step Further has been managing the Cure Violence since the start of 2020, and attempting to coordinate the two initiatives nationwide and to make sure Cure Violence adheres to the core components of the national model.

One Step Further will oversee all aspects of the program’s “operations, personnel management, financial transactions, program expenses, capital investments, equipment purchases, payroll, and human resources.”

Currently, Gate City Coalition Program 1– a branch of Cure Violence funded by the City of Greensboro – serves the Martin Luther King Jr. corridor as well as Smith Homes in Greensboro.

The expansion of Gate City Coalition Program 2 – which is being funded by Guilford County – will target neighborhoods in the Merritt Drive/Overland Heights Drive area, as well as the Hickory Trails public housing community. The program will also involve activities such as community mobilization, public education, establishing relationships with law enforcement officers, and outreach.

 

 

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