CHELSEA – Gov. Deval Patrick announced a $27 million program on Wednesday aimed at reducing recidivism among at-risk youth, particularly in the Greater Springfield and Greater Boston areas.
The program uses money from public and private sources to fund outreach work by Roca, an organization that provides life skills for at-risk men. Roca, which is based in Chelsea with an office in Springfield, will be paid its full fees only if it effectively reduces recidivism.
“Technically speaking, this project is about reducing incarceration rates and increasing employment among young men involved in the justice system,” said Molly Baldwin, founder and executive director of Roca. “But at its heart, this project is about much more. It is about various leaders and institutions coming together to create real, sustainable and innovative solutions for problems that are often viewed as intractable realities of urban life: poverty, crime and violence.”
Patrick described the program as an innovative one in its use of a public-private partnership to address a social need. “You have a social challenge, you have a proven strategy, and you have…innovation,” Patrick said.
Baldwin said 43 percent of the funding will go to Hampden County. Roca’s Western Massachusetts operations are three years old, and the program currently operates in Springfield. The additional money will allow the program to expand into the surrounding areas, particularly Holyoke and Chicopee.
“It’s revolutionary how government works with the private sector to save taxpayer money and produce better results,” said Brian Fitzgerald, a Western Massachusetts Roca board member.
There will be a formal launch of the Western Massachusetts program on Feb. 4 in Springfield. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno is expected to attend.
Statewide, the funding is expected to provide services to 929 men over seven years. Roca estimates that it will serve 228 men over six years in Western Massachusetts, not counting those who drop out of the program.
Roca gives men ages 17 to 24 intensive services for two years with follow-up for another two years. To recruit the men, Roca workers approach them on the street and at home, and speak to their friends, until the men agree to participate. Baldwin said many of the men have joined gangs, been incarcerated, dropped out of school and refused other programs. Roca provides job and life skills training and help obtaining a GED. “The statistics say these young men have a higher chance of going to jail than getting a job,” Baldwin said. “This project is about changing those odds.”
The state program is called “Pay for Success” because of its unusual funding model. Private investors have committed $18 million in up front loans and grants. Half that money is coming from investment bank Goldman Sachs’ social impact fund. The rest is coming from philanthropies and foundations including the Kresge Foundation, Living Cities, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, New Profit, and the Boston Foundation.
An independent evaluator will analyze the work Roca is doing and determine how effective it is, using data regarding incarceration rates, employment and other benchmarks.
If Roca is deemed successful, the state will pay back the money and interest to private investors and deferred fees to Roca and a company advising the project.
The state has committed up to $27 million over seven years. The U.S. Department of Labor gave Massachusetts another $11.7 million, which will give the state an option to expand the program to another 391 men over an additional two years.
Patrick said the state’s share will come from money saved through reduced incarceration costs. For example, if Roca reduces days of incarceration by 40 percent compared to men not in the program, the state would save $22 million in incarceration costs and pay $22 million to Roca and the investors.
Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe said he is “a big believer” in Roca’s model of intervention. “They’re not waiting for the youth to knock on their door,” Ashe said. “They’re going out into the community and not just once or twice a week, doing this three, four times a week over a year, trying to engage them, trying to show them that people care about them.”
Asked whether Roca’s interventions have reduced recidivism since it came to Western Massachusetts, Ashe said, “There’s no question in my mind they have.”
With the new program, Ashe said, “They’ve taken this model and you might say they’re putting their name on the line, putting their philosophy on the line, really saying they don’t want to get paid unless it’s successful. They’re being held accountable.”
At an event at Roca’s office in Chelsea, Ralph Bonano, 20, spoke about the impact Roca had on him. Bonano said he dropped out of Chelsea High School at 17, joined a gang, sold drugs and robbed people. He was arrested five times. He said a mentor from Roca “harassed” him until he joined the program. He worked in Roca’s transitional employment program, cleaning parks and raking leaves for minimum wage. Two years later, he has avoided violating probation and is holding down a job with a company that supplies equipment for the military. “Two years ago, if you asked me what my life would have been like in the future, I would never have predicted the things I’d have been able to accomplish today,” Bonano said.
Gerald Corrigan, managing director and chairman of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, said the initiative will help high-risk men “acquire the training, skills and values that will enhance their lives and their lifestyles, and provide employment possibilities and at the same time serve as role models in their respective communities.”
Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor said the state is developing a similar “pay for success” model to address chronic homelessness, partnering with United Way, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance and other groups. That program will be launched in the coming months.