Youngstown s North Side Weed Seed Target Area

1. Youngstown’s North Side Weed & Seed Target Area Weed & Seed is a strategy that aims to prevent and control violent crime, drug abuse and gang activity in designated high-crime neighborhoods across the country The Public Service Institute at YSU analyzed crime data and census demographics to locate high-crime and high-poverty areas in the city for potential Weed & Seed area designation Several census tracts on the city’s south side had already been designated as a Weed & Seed area, leaving those areas ineligible Four census tracts on the city’s north side were eventually targeted The following slide shows the city’s south side Weed & Seed area

3. Homicides, 2000 to 2004 Data was obtained from the Youngstown Police Department (YPD) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Data was subsequently matched to the proper street location Maps were created showing the location of homicides by census tract The maps aided in selecting the final Weed & Seed target area

10. Citywide Crime by Census Tract, 2000-2004 Maps were created using seven variables from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), and data from the YPD Made it possible to analyze hot spots from a spatial perspective by matching crimes to the proper street location and summarizing by census tract Aided in selecting potential census tracts for the Weed & Seed area Those variables included: Homicide Forcible rape Felonious assault Robbery Burglary Larceny/theft Auto theft

11. Local Data Issues Using YPD final signal codes that signify the type of crime committed, the seven variables were extracted from the database of all calls for service Location of the crime was often given at the place the report was taken, such as a hospital or the police station Census tract 8037 stands out because its location includes the YPD, although the number of crimes committed in that tract is actually minimal Therefore, tract 8037 was left out of consideration

19. 2000 Census Data 2000 Census demographics were compiled in tabular format to analyze indicators such as race, poverty, economics, and housing Used in conjunction with crime data analysis to identify the areas of highest crime and poverty in the city Aided in selecting potential census tracts for the Weed & Seed area

20. Census Data Variables Population Data: Total Total, non-Hispanic White Black Native American Asian Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Other Two or more races Hispanic Percent age 60 and older Female householders with children under age 18 Economic & Housing Data: Percent unemployed Median household income Percent of persons living below poverty level Percent of families living below poverty level Percent of occupied housing owner occupied Percent of occupied housing renter occupied Median year residential structure built Median rent Median value for owner occupied housing

21. Potential Weed & Seed Target Area Sites After analyzing crime statistics and census demographics, several census tracts on the city’s north and east sides were selected as potential sites for the new Weed & Seed target area Sacred landmarks, schools, social services, and other public facilities located within the tracts were targeted to potentially serve as safe havens, sites for after-school programs, etc. The following map shows the census tracts that were selected as potential sites

23. Crime Rank by Census Tract Using the FBI UCR variables and YPD data, each census tract within the target area was ranked to determine the tracts with the highest crime rate The top five tracts were located on the city’s north side The following map shows the crime rank by census tract

25. Social Data Rank by Census Tract The census demographics were then used to rank each census tract within the target area to determine the tracts with the highest rate of poverty The tracts with the highest poverty rate were also located on the city’s north side, and mirrored those with the highest rate of crime The following map shows the social data rank by census tract

27. Final Weed & Seed Target Area The census tracts determined to have the highest crime and poverty rates, as well as the resources to provide the programs necessary for the success of the Weed & Seed program were selected The following map shows the census tracts that were determined to best fit the criteria for a Weed & Seed designation