Youth anti-gang program gets additional funding

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews pauses during a news conference after a meeting about Bill C-42, legislation to amend the RCMP Act, in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, June 28, 2012. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Text:

The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, September 27, 2012 5:26PM EDT

TORONTO - The federal government is extending a project that helps connect Toronto youth with community resources to keep them away from gangs.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews announced an additional $244,000 in funding for the Prevention and Intervention Toronto project, which will keep it going for another nine months.

The $4.2-million project pairs at-risk youth between the ages of 13 and 24 with trained professionals to guide them to housing, education and employment resources.

Toews says the project, which started in 2008 and is run by the city, has helped keep youths away from gang activity.

Kristofer Miller, a youth from northwest Toronto, says the project helped him finish high school.

The funding boost follows several measures taken by the city and provincial governments in the wake of deadly gun violence this summer to expand programs aimed at keeping youth away from street crime.