The City of Columbus was one of the first in the nation to take part in the ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ initiative launched in 2014 by then-President Obama. The effort is designed to improve the lives of boys and young men of color. Last night, the city released the results of an Ohio State University studyit commissioned showing areas of the city where the target population is most likely to succeed or fail. The study was broken down into four criteria to determine vulnerability - education, health, safety and economics. OSU's Kyle Strickland says high areas of vulnerability for boys and young men of color are the near east side, the south side, and on the Hilltop.
The city plans to launch a 100 thousand dollar grant program next year to help organizations with programs targeting young men of color. Carla Williams-Scott is with the city's Department of Neighborhoods.
Williams-Scott says an RFP process to obtain a grant will be rolled out in January. An information session for those interested will be held the following month. The month of March will be the deadline for the city to accept grant applications.
