TARGET AUDIENCE/GEOGRPHY:

The Peace In The Hood program’s jurisdiction covers Overbrook, University City and Lamberton High Schools, Shoemaker and Beeber Middle Schools, and Bluford, Daroff, and Heston Elementary Schools. Students, families, and parents from these schools reside in the Carroll Park, Overbrook, University City and Wynnefield communities of West Philadelphia.

POPULATION OF SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES SERVED: 8,112

OVERBROOK HIGH SCHOOL 1,885
UNIVERSITY CITY HIGH SCHOOL 1,895
LAMBERTON HIGH SCHOOL 1,205
BEEBER MIDDLE SCHOOL 922
DAROFF MIDDLE SCHOOL 605
SHOEMAKER MIDDLE SCHOOL 417
BLUFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL751
HESTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 432

POPULATION OF SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES SERVED: 84,926

Haddington/Carroll Park 27,119
Overbrook 30,540
Wynnefield 27,267

POPULATION SERVED DEMOGRAPHICS:

70% Males 30% Females 65% High School Students
20% MS Students 10% Adults 5% Children age 12 yrs & under
80% African-American 17% Hispanic 2% Other

JUSTIFICATION, COMMUNITY CIRCUMSTANCES AND IMPACTS:

City of Philadelphia Conditions

1. Philadelphia youth are dying at a rate 35 percent higher than youth nationally. More youth in the city die from intentional injuries than from accidents. Nationally, unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for youth age 19 and under
2. The number of young children being cared for in state-supported, unregulated child care settings id increasing dramatically, as TANF work retirements drive single mothers into the workforce, primarily into low-wage jobs
3. Arrests of Philadelphia children aged 13 and under have increased significantly since the mid 1990s. Most youngsters processed through the city’s delinquency court are African American boys.

West Philadelphia

The House of UMOJA is located in West Philadelphia and is in close proximity to the West Philadelphia Empowerment Zone. Specifically, Umoja is located in the Carroll Park Community, a working class neighborhood that is facing community deterioration, violence and other social issues. Residents living at the House of UMOJA are referred by the city’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and come from homes located throughout Philadelphia.

There are two high schools, two middle schools, and four elementary schools within the Carroll Park, Wynnefield, and Overbrook sections of West Philadelphia.

Many families reside in these areas where the levels of violence are increasing. The Philadelphia Police Department reported that homicides in the “West Philly” section of the city had 49 murders in 2003, 18 more than the previous year.