[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46805-46813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-23646]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Employment and Training Administration

ACTION: Notice Inviting Proposals for Youth Offender Demonstration 
Projects.

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SUMMARY: This notice contains all of the necessary information and 
forms to apply for grant funding. The U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration is authorized to award grants to 
provide services aimed at youth who are or have been under criminal 
justice supervision or involved in gangs. In setting aside these funds, 
Congress noted ``the severe problems facing out-of-school youth in 
communities with high-poverty and unemployment and the inter-
relatedness of poverty, juvenile crime, child abuse and neglect, school 
failure, and teen pregnancy.'' The Department of Labor (DOL) has worked 
with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) 
in the Department of Justice (DOJ) in deciding to use these funds for 
three categories of projects to serve youth offenders. They are, I. 
Model Community Projects; II. Education and Training for Youth 
Offenders Initiatives; and III. Community-Wide Coordination Projects.
    All proposals must by submitted by the Service Delivery Area (SDA). 
Applicants can only apply under one of these categories which must be 
clearly identified on the face sheet of the application.

DATES: Application will be accepted commencing September 2, 1998. The 
closing date for receipt of applications is December 1, 1998, at 4 P.M. 
(Eastern Time) at the address below.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be mailed to Ms. Denise Roach, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division 
of Acquisition and Assistance, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room S-
4203, Washington, D.C. 20210, Reference: SGA/DAA 98-015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Question should be faxed to Ms. Denise 
Roach, Division of Acquisition and Assistance, Fax (202) 219-8739. This 
is not a toll-free number. All inquiries should include the SGA number 
(DAA 98-015) and a contact name and phone number. This solicitation 
will also be published on the Internet, on the Employment and Training 
Administration's Home page at http://www.doleta.gov. Award 
notifications will also be published on the Home Page.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Funding for these awards is authorized under 
the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), Title IV, Pilot and 
Demonstration. Applicants must clearly identify which category they are 
applying for. This information must appear on the face sheet of the 
application. It is strongly recommended that your application be 
submitted using the face sheet included in appendix ``A'', as this will 
greatly enhance our review process. As a condition for award, 
applicants must agree to participate in the DOJ evaluation of these 
demonstration effort.

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Funding for this evaluation will be provided to an independent 
contractor by DOJ. Therefore, no funds awarded under this grant should 
be set aside for this purpose.
    Demonstration sites will be required to collect and maintain 
participant records through administrative data so that this can be a 
learning experience for DOL and DOJ. In order to keep participant 
records, the Standardized Program Information Report (SPIR) required 
for JTPA Title II programs must be used. The DOJ evaluation will 
evaluate the process experiences in implementing this youth offender 
program. However if additional resources become available, the 
evaluator may also examine intermediate outcomes for the youth. Each 
applicant must provide an assurance that they will cooperate with the 
evaluator and provide access to the data necessary to the evaluation.

Category I--Model Community Projects

    These demonstrations will be set in high-poverty neighborhoods 
where comprehensive, community-wide approaches to dealing with youth 
have already been established. Grant awards will be provided to set up 
a combination of gang prevention and gang suppression projects; 
alternative sentencing and community service projects for youth 
offenders; to support existing case management and job placement 
services for youth on probation or returning to the community from 
corrections facilities. These neighborhood-wide projects will then 
serve as models for other high-poverty, high-crime communities in the 
country.

Eligible Applicants

    This award category will be limited to those SDAs that have 
received grants under DOL's Youth Opportunity Unlimited (YOU), Youth 
Fair Chance (YFC), or Opportunity Areas for Out-of-School Youth (OASY) 
demonstrations. Organizations that operate DOJ's Safe Futures or 
Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach to Gang Prevention, Intervention, 
and Suppression demonstrations, can also apply through their SDAs. 
These organizations should contact their Mayor's Office for a listing 
of the SDAs in their area. Applicants should outline how they will 
involve residents, youth and others of the community in planning and 
involvement in the effort.

Program Components

    Grant funds must be used to build upon an existing system currently 
serving out-of-school youth, youth offenders or at-risk youth in gangs 
or prone to joining gangs. Youth employment and developmental 
activities funded under this grant shall be used for a structured set 
of activities focused sharply on getting youth offenders and gang 
members ages 14-24 either into long-term employment at wage levels that 
will prevent future dependancy and/or break the cycle of crime and 
juvenile delinquency that contributes to recidivism and non-productive 
activities. This overall strategy needs to be responsive to the 
particular problems of youth offenders and gang members in high-poverty 
areas. Efforts should be made to integrate youth into educational and 
alterative school programs when appropriate.
    Any new service must also be developed and implemented focusing 
primarily on the needs of youth involved in the juvenile justice system 
and gangs. Employment, education, criminal justice and community-based 
youth programs should become an interrelated component of the project. 
In developing this interrelated system, grant funds shall be used to 
create a youth offender and gang prevention advisory board that 
participates in the coordination of all activities and provides input 
and community support to the project's leadership.

Investment of Applicant and Partners

    Applicants should use partnerships both (1) to enhance the youth 
offender programs funded under this grant and (2) to provide 
complementary programs so as to link services within the target 
community and provide a diversity of options for all youth offenders 
within the target area. These partnerships must agree to:
     Implement a training and employment program for youth 
offenders and gang members in the target area.
     Coordinate with the private sector to develop a specified 
number of career-track jobs for target area youth offenders.
     Establish alternative sentencing and community service 
options for youth offenders and gang members in the target area.
     Expand gang suppression activities in the target area.
     Establish a gang prevention advisory board for the target 
area.
    Funding Availability: The Department expects to award (5) grants 
approximately $1.5 million each under this category.
    Category #1 Rating Criteria: Each application under this category 
will be evaluated against the following rating criteria:
     Need in target neighborhood, as demonstrated by severity 
of gang problem, the number of youth offenders residing in target 
community and the inability for existing services to include youth 
offenders and gang members (35 points)
     Plan and capacity for conducting project including plan 
for preventing recidivism (40 points)
     Level of investments of schools and other public sector 
partners (10 points)
     Level of investments of private sector partners, including 
commitments for private-sector jobs (5 points)
     Linkages and coordination of services (10 points)

Category II--Education and Training for Youth Offenders Initiative

    These projects would provide comprehensive school-to-work education 
and training within juvenile corrections facilities, and would also 
provide follow-up services and job placements as youth leave these 
facilities and returned to the community. Again, the comprehensive 
services developed under this project will serve as a model for other 
juvenile corrections facilities across the country.

Eligible Applicants

    The State Juvenile Corrections Agency is the eligible applicants 
and should identify a juvenile corrections facility within their State 
where the project will operate. DOJ is considering a formal random 
assignment evaluation of the effectiveness of the enhanced services 
being provided under this category. Therefore, juvenile corrections 
facilities proposed as demonstration sites must have a minimum of 100 
youth in residence.
    Your application must show the involvement/commitment of the 
following partners: the SDA which is the administrative entity for Job 
Training Partnership Act program; the state School-to-Work partnership; 
the local School-to-Work Partnership to which a majority of the youth 
offenders will return if clearly defined; and representatives of major 
employer networks connected to the school-to work effort.

Program Components

    Grant funds shall be used to build upon an existing system 
currently serving youth offenders. Youth employment and developmental 
activities funded under this grant shall be used for a structured set 
of activities focused sharply on getting youth offenders and gang 
members ages 14-24 either into long-term employment at wage levels that 
will prevent future

[[Page 46807]]

dependancy and/or break the cycle of crime and juvenile delinquency 
that contributes to recidivism and non-productive activities. This 
overall strategy needs to be responsive to the particular problems of 
youth offenders and gang members in juvenile corrections facilities.
    Programs must be designed to raise the quality of work and learning 
for incarcerated juvenile offenders, and strengthen follow-up services 
and aftercare, including mentoring for youth returning to their 
communities by building connections to local workforce development and 
School-to-Work systems. This includes the development of a reformed and 
intensive corrections education program, vocational training with ties 
to vocational development and youth employment services. The jointly 
developed curriculum should include input from corrections education, 
the state School-to-Work partnership, local school districts and 
employer networks connected to the school-to-work effort. Projects are 
also encouraged to work with Job Corps centers. In the development of a 
school-to-work based education curriculum. This curriculum should be 
linked to the curriculum developed for the communities to which youth 
offenders will return once leaving juvenile corrections and structured 
in such a way as to enable the youth to transition from the institution 
to the community and continue in a sequential manner with their 
educational and vocational development.
    Grant funds should be coordinated with existing programs to provide 
case management and aftercare for youth returning to communities from 
juvenile corrections to facilitate community reintegration, healthy 
lifestyle choices and educational success and skills development. In 
addition, grant funds may be used for staff and teacher training in 
order to facilitate an effective system of connected classroom-based 
and work based activities. The Federal Bonding Program and the Work 
Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) should be considered as necessary tools 
to assist with youth offender employment placements. Information 
regarding these programs will be made available upon award of his 
grant. Additional funding sources may include Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention Act formula grants funds and Juvenile 
Accountability Incentive Block Grant (JAIBG) funds. JAIBG funds should 
be used to compliment those available through this grant to upgrade 
training facilities within permanent juvenile corrections facilities.

Investment of Applicants and Partners

    Applicants should use partnerships both (1) to enhance the youth 
offender program funded under this grant and (2) to provide 
complementary programs which make residence communities better able to 
provide after-care services for all returning youth offenders. The 
State recipient of a JAIBG award are strongly encouraged to contribute, 
in the form of a cash match, 10% of the total program cost, except when 
the JAIBG funds are used for construction of permanent corrections 
facilities. Partners under this category shall agree to:
     Implement a school-to-work program in the target juvenile 
corrections facility.
     Provide case management and after-care services to youth 
offenders returning to their communities.
     Develop linkages to local school-to-work efforts with 
assistance from the State School-to-Work Partnership.
    Funding Availability: The Department expects to award (2) grants 
approximately $1.125 million each for Education and Training for Youth 
Offenders Initiatives under this competition.
    Category Rating Criteria: Each application for funding under this 
category will be reviewed and rated against the following criteria:
     Need in target juvenile corrections facility and state 
juvenile corrections system, as demonstrated by the effectiveness of 
current curriculum, the number of youth offenders who stand to benefit, 
and rate of recidivism (25 points)
     Plan and capacity for conducting project including 
aftercare services and plan for preventing recidivism (40 points)
     Level of investments of schools and other public sector 
partners including School-to-Work partnerships (15 points)
     Level of investments of private sector partners, including 
commitments for private-sector jobs (10 points)
     Recidivism prevention plan (10 points)

Category III--Community-Wide Coordination Projects

    This program component will fund smaller grants for communities 
within small to medium-sized cities with high-poverty and high-crime. 
These projects will work with local youth service providers to develop 
linkages that will strengthen the coordination of prevention and 
recovery services for youth offenders. Linkages to existing community 
programs such as the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) year-round 
youth training and summer jobs for at-risk youth, School-to-Work 
Programs, and other federal programs could contribute to juvenile crime 
prevention.

Eligible Applicants

    Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) within high-crime communities with a 
population of at least 100,000 and not greater than 400,000 and a 
significant youth gang and youth crime problem are eligible to apply. 
Applicants should provide documentation from their local law 
enforcement agency showing support the existence of an existing or 
emerging gang problem and other serious youth crime problems. The SDA 
is the administrative entity for Job Training Partnership Act programs.

Program Components

    Grant funds shall be used to build upon an existing systems 
currently serving in-school and out-of-school youth, youth offenders or 
youth in gangs or prone to joining gangs. Youth employment and 
developmental activities funded under this grant shall be used for a 
structured set of activities focused sharply on getting youth offenders 
and gang members ages 14-24 either into long-term employment at wage 
levels that will prevent future dependancy and/or break the cycle of 
crime and juvenile delinquency that contributes to recidivism and non-
productive activities. This overall strategy needs to be responsive to 
the particular problems of youth offenders and gang members in high-
poverty, high-crime areas. Efforts should be made to integrate youth 
into educational and alterative school programs when appropriate. The 
Federal Bonding Program and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) 
should be considered as necessary tools to assist with youth offender 
employment placements. Information regarding these programs will be 
made available upon award of this grant.

Investment of Applicants and Partners

    Applicants should use partnerships both (1) to enhance the youth 
offender programs funded under this grant and (2) to provide 
complementary programs so as to make the target community an available 
service area for all youth offenders. Applicants also should agree to a 
good faith effort to continue projects started under this grant beyond 
the 24-month grant period. Partners should also agree to:
     Build upon existing employment and training, recreation, 
conflict resolution and other youth crime and

[[Page 46808]]

gang prevention programs to include youth offenders and gang members.
     Establish alternative sentencing and community service 
options for target area youth and gang members.
     Establish or continue gang suppression activities within 
the target area.
    Funding Availability: The Department expects to award six (6) 
grants approximately $300,000 each to Community-Wide Coordination 
Projects under this competition.
    Category Rating Criteria: Applications received for funding under 
this category shall be rated against the following criteria:
     Need in target neighborhood, as demonstrated by severity 
of gang problem, the number of youth offenders residing in target 
community (30 points)
     Plan and capacity for conducting project including plan 
for preventing recidivism (30 points)
     Level of investments of schools and other public sector 
partners (10 points)
     Level of investments of private sector partners, including 
commitments for private-sector jobs (10 points)
     Current youth offender programs and youth crime prevention 
strategies (10 points)
     Linkages and coordination of services (10 points)
    Period oF Performance: The period of performance for all grants 
awarded under this competition will be for 24 months from the date the 
grant is awarded.

Application Submittal

    All applicants must submit an original and three (3) copies of 
their proposal, with original signatures. The applications shall be 
divided into two distinct parts. Part I--which contains Standard Form 
(SF) 424, ``Application for Federal Assistance, and Budget Information 
Sheet.'' (See appendix ``A''. All copies of the SF 424 MUST have 
original signatures of the legal entity applying for grant funds. 
Applicants shall indicate on the SF-424 the organization's IRS status, 
if applicable. According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, 
Section 18, an organization described in Section 501(c)(4) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities 
shall not be eligible for the receipt of federal funds constituting an 
award, grant or loan. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 
is 17.249. In addition, the budget shall include--on a separate 
page(s)--a detailed cost break-out of each line item on the Budget 
Information Sheet. Part II shall contain the technical proposal that 
demonstrates the applicant's plan and capabilities in accordance with 
the evaluation criteria contained in this notice. Applicants must 
describe their plan in light of each of the Rating Criteria. Applicants 
MUST limit the program narrative section to no more than 10 double-
spaced pages, on one side only. This includes any attachments. 
Applications that fail to meet the page limitation requirement may not 
be considered.

Late Applications

    Any application received after the exact date and time specified 
for receipt at the office designated in this notice will not be 
considered, unless it is received before awards are made and it--(a) 
was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the fifth 
calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications 
(e.g., an application submitted in response to a solicitation requiring 
receipt of applications by the 20th of the month must have been mailed/
post marked by the 15th of that month); or (b) was sent by the U.S. 
Postal Service Express Mail next Day Service to address not later than 
5:00 P.M. at the place of mailing two working days prior to the date 
specified for receipt of applications. The term ``working days'' 
excludes weekends and federal holidays. The term ``post marked'' means 
a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a 
postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without 
further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of 
mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service.

Hand Delivered Proposals

    It is preferred that applications be mailed at least five days 
prior to the closing date. To be considered for funding, hand-delivered 
applications must be received by 4:00 P.M., (Eastern Time), on the 
closing date at the specified address.
    Telegraphed and/Faxed Applications Will Not Be Honored. Failure to 
adhere to the above instructions will be a basis for a determination of 
nonresponsiveness. Overnight express mail from carriers other than the 
U.S. Postal Service will be considered hand-delivered applications and 
must be received by the above specified date and time.

Review and Selection Process

    A careful evaluation of applications will be made by a technical 
review panel who will evaluate the applications against the established 
criteria under each Category. The panel results are advisory in nature 
and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Government may elect to award 
the grant with or without discussions with the offeror. In situations 
without discussions, an award will be based on the offeror's signature 
on the SF-424. The final decision on awards will be based on what is 
most advantageous to the Federal Government, taking into account 
factors such as geographic diversity, mix of EZs and ECs, and 
demographic characteristics.

    Signed this 28th day of August, 1998.
Janice E. Perry,
Grant Officer, Department of Labor, ETA.

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Attachments
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[FR Doc. 98-23646 Filed 9-1-98; 8:45 am]
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