Safe and Successful
Youth Initiative (SSYI)
Legislative Report
February 2021
March 2018
 Table of Contents
Cities with Safe and Successful Youth Initiative Programs .................................................. 3
Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 4
Background ....................................................................................................................................... 9
SSYI Program Components ..................................................................................................................................................11
Characteristics of Cities with SSYI Programs .............................................................................................................11
SSYI Program Administration and Operations ..........................................................................................................12
SSYI Grantees .................................................................................................................................. 13
Goals and Benchmarks for Grant Recipients ......................................................................... 15
Report Methods .............................................................................................................................. 16
SSYI Database ..............................................................................................................................................................................16
Program Activities across the Six Core Components ........................................................... 17
Youth Identified for Services ...............................................................................................................................................17
Outreach and Case Management .......................................................................................................................................20
Education, Occupational Training and Employment, and Behavioral Health Services ........................21
Program Participation among Young Women ...........................................................................................................24
Program Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic ..................................................................... 25
Racial Equity ................................................................................................................................... 27
Success Stories ................................................................................................................................ 28
SSYI Human Trafficking Grant Program.................................................................................. 30
Operational and Technical Support: Trainings and Meetings........................................... 32
Program Management Support .........................................................................................................................................32
Data Management and Reporting Services ..................................................................................................................34
SSYI Video-Conference (Zoom) Trainings and Data Integrity Assessments ..............................................34
Appendix A: Key Performance Indicators ............................................................................... 36
Appendix B: Characteristics of SSYI Cities .............................................................................. 43
Appendix C: SSYI COVID-19 Related Activity.......................................................................... 48
Executive Office of Health and Human Services l SSYI Legislative Report – February 2021 2
 Cities with Safe and Successful Youth Initiative Programs
Executive Office of Health and Human Services l SSYI Legislative Report – February 2021 3
 Executive Summary
Background
The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) is a youth violence prevention and intervention initiative that
operates in 14 Commonwealth of Massachusetts cities with the highest juvenile crime rates. SSYI targets a
small number of individuals, ages 17-24, that local police have identified as "proven risk" or "impact players."
These individuals are determined by police to be substantially gang-involved, most likely to be a victim or
perpetrator of a violent weapons offense, or engaged in high volume illegal activity. SSYI workers reach out
and develop a relationship with these individuals and then offer them a chance to redirect their lives through
educational, employment, and behavioral health services. SSYI combines public health and public safety
approaches for eliminating youth violence.
The 14 SSYI programs are overseen by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).
Commonwealth Corporation provides program management assistance to EOHHS and technical assistance to
the 14 programs. The University of Massachusetts Medical School's Commonwealth Medicine division
provides data management, data reporting, and other supportive services. Each SSYI program is comprised of
a Police Department, a Lead Agency, and Program Partners. Lead Agencies are community-based
organizations or quasi-governmental organizations that manage and coordinate all SSYI Program activities,
services, policies, operations, and reporting. Program Partners provide services or opportunities to SSYI
clients. Program Partners may include community, municipal, county, state, federal, non-profit, for-profit or
private sector organizations, and licensed mental health clinics.
Legislative Mandate
This report is issued pursuant to Chapter 227 of the Acts of 2020, line item: 4000-0005:
"For youth violence prevention program grants administered by the executive office of health and human
services; provided, that the grants shall be targeted at reducing youth violence among young persons at highest
annual risk of being perpetrators or victims of gun and community violence; provided further, that any new
grants awarded from this item in fiscal year 2021 shall comply with the grant application requirements set forth
in item 4000-0005 of section 2 of chapter 38 of the acts of 2013; provided further, that the executive office may
select the same evaluator in fiscal year 2021 as selected in fiscal year 2020; provided further, that not later than
February 15, 2021, the secretary of health and human services shall submit a report to the house and senate
committees on ways and means detailing: (i) successful grant applications; (ii) the criteria used in selecting
grant recipients; (iii) a set of clearly-defined goals and benchmarks on which grant recipients shall be evaluated;
and (iv) outcomes and findings that demonstrate program success from the grant awards for fiscal year 2020;
and provided further, that these funds shall be available to those municipalities with the highest number of
annual youth homicides and serious assaults as determined by the executive office…"
SSYI Outcomes and Findings
This report details successful SSYI grant applications, program goals and benchmarks for evaluating grant
recipients, and SSYI program outcomes and findings for state fiscal year 2020, which includes 14 SSYI
programs.
The data provided in this report are primarily derived from the SSYI case management system referred to as
the "SSYI Database." The database supports SSYI program operations and reporting across all SSYI roles,
including Police Departments, Lead Agencies, and Program Partners. All SSYI sites now use this single system
for youth identification, outreach and contact with youth, enrollment and case management, education,
Executive Office of Health and Human Services l SSYI Legislative Report – February 2021 4
 employment, and behavioral health functions. The SSYI Database improved operations by facilitating
consistency in case management and outreach processes, and it also improved reporting consistency across
SSYI program locations. To ensure data security, the SSYI database is implemented within Microsoft's cloud-
based Dynamics 365 CRM service. Dynamics 365 meets the compliance standards of the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants Services Organization Controls (SOC) 2.1
During the period covered by this report, SSYI provided innovative and important services to youth who
Police Departments identified as being most likely to be a victim or perpetrator of violent weapons offenses.
In summary:
• A total of 2,026 youth were identified by police as eligible for SSYI in FY20 (7% increase
compared to FY19). Outreach Workers contacted youth that were identified as being most likely to
be a victim or perpetrator of violent weapons offenses to solicit their participation in the SSYI
Program. There were 1,228 youth contacted in FY20 (1% decrease compared to FY19).
• If a youth agreed to enroll in SSYI, a Case Manager conducted an intake interview to gather
information about the client and enroll the youth in SSYI. Enrolled youth received case management
services. A total of 1,030 youth were enrolled and received case management services in FY20
(12% increase compared to FY19).
• Case managers coordinated with local service providers to engage clients in education programs.
Educational services primarily focused on maintaining high school or alternative high school
enrollment and graduation or assisted with the attainment of HiSET (GED) qualifications. A total of
573 youth received education services in FY20 (5% increase compared to FY19).
• SSYI programs also offered occupational training and employment services to provide the youth with
both the soft and hard skills necessary to succeed in the workplace. Youth that enrolled in
transitional/subsidized employment received SSYI program support in obtaining and maintaining
unsubsidized jobs, including ongoing communication with their case managers and assistance with
problem resolution, job retention, and further career planning and skill development. A total of
665 youth participated in employment activities in FY20 (5% increase compared to FY19).
• Several SSYI youths have experienced trauma, have mental health issues, or have substance use
disorders. Case Managers helped SSYI youth to access behavioral health services. A total of
674 youth participated in behavioral health services in FY20 (9% increase compared to FY19).
• Throughout the pandemic, SSYI programs have played a critical role in their community's
response to COVID-19. Many of the SSYI services continued virtually online, through telehealth and
social media. Many of the SSYI programs became hubs within their communities for providing food,
personal protective equipment, clothing, diapers, and other emergency assistance items for the
neediest families.
• This past summer, cities erupted in protest following the deaths of George Floyd and others at the
hands of police. SSYI is based on mutual respect and cooperation between community-based
organizations and the police departments tasked with keeping their communities safe. Despite
historic mistrust, over the last ten years the SSYI program has worked to strengthen both law
enforcement's trust in alternative crime reduction methods and community trust in officers that
police them. SSYI supports continued dialogue between police and the community and is taking steps
as a program to identify and implement initiatives that promote equity, fairness, and justice.
1More information about this certification is available from Microsoft, https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/trustcenter/Compliance/SOC?Search=true.
Executive Office of Health and Human Services l SSYI Legislative Report – February 2021 5
 • Following the implementation of a female services pilot, EOHHS established the SSYI Human
Trafficking Grant Program as a separate program under the SSYI umbrella to meet the needs of
youth aged 10 to 24 who are survivors or at risk of human trafficking through Commercial Sexual
Exploitation. In FY20, quarter 4, when the program began: 91 participants received services; four
new survivor mentors were hired; an additional five were funded through this grant; 84% of
participants received crisis intervention, engagement, and/or direct services support; 42% received
direct financial assistance; 98% received assessments, case management, case coordination, and/or
individual service plans.
Executive Office of Health and Human Services l SSYI Legislative Report – February 2021 6
 SSYI Evaluation
The American Institutes for Research (AIR), in partnership with WestEd, has served as the state evaluator for
the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) since 2013. This report provides summary findings from the
evaluations. Additional details on these evaluations can be found in the references listed in the References
Section. In the earliest studies of SSYI, the AIR/WestEd research team found that the intervention was
associated with a reduced level of victimization from violent crime in SSYI communities2 and a reduced
likelihood of incarceration for SSYI participants.3 An economic analysis conducted in the two largest program
sites only, Springfield and Boston, Massachusetts, found that each dollar invested in these SSYI sites was
associated with societal cost savings of as much as $7.35 in 2013 dollars. 4
In FY19, AIR-WestEd was awarded a contract by EOHHS to continue to evaluate the impact of SSYI.5 Findings
from the current evaluation include:
• Between 2012 and 2017, cities with SSYI funding saw annual violent offenses decrease by as many as
2.2 offenses per 1,000 population and annual violent crime victimizations decrease by almost 3.2
victimizations per 1,000 population for ages 14 to 24. While multiple efforts exist in cities to reduce
violent crime, SSYI had a statistically significant impact on reducing annual violent offenses and
victimization.
2 See Petrosino et al., 2014.
3 See Campie et al., 2014
4 See Bradham, Campie, and Petrosino, 2014.
5 See Campie et al., 2020
Executive Office of Health and Human Services l SSYI Legislative Report – February 2021 7
 • After 2012, clients enrolled in SSYI had 36% fewer violent offenses, including 50% fewer weapon-
related offenses, and 20% fewer non-violent offenses than did young men identified for the program
who never enrolled.
• There were 815 fewer violent crime victims, ages 14 to 24, in SSYI cities in 2018, resulting in annual
cost savings of $38,243,359, against program expenditures of $7,549,079. For every $1 the cities
invested in SSYI, they saved $5.10 in victimization costs.
Executive Office of Health and Human Services l SSYI Legislative Report – February 2021 8
 Background
The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) is a youth violence prevention and intervention initiative that
operates in cities with the highest juvenile crime rates. SSYI targets a small number of individuals, ages 17-24,
that local police have identified as "proven risk" or "impact players." These individuals are determined by
police to be substantially gang-involved, as most likely to be a victim or perpetrator of violent weapons
offense or engaged in high volume illegal activity. SSYI reaches out to these individuals and offers them a
chance to redirect their lives through educational, employment, and behavioral health services.
SSYI combines public health and public
safety approaches for eliminating
youth violence. The original SSYI model
was driven by research conducted by Who is the SSYI Client?
the City of Boston Police Department
regarding high crime neighborhoods.
The program model reflects the belief
One of a small
# of youth 27%
that a disproportionately small number to be were involved in
of individuals drive the majority of identified by high volume
violent crime. By identifying these high local police as an drug related
“impact player” criminal activity
impact players in a given community,
SSYI aims to directly intervene in their
lives in a positive way, and thus reduce 59%
violent crime. SSYI fills gaps in direct Among the most substantially
involved in
services currently available to such challenging gang activity
proven risk youth, as they require populations
or<