House Passes Bill to Create Opportunities for At-Risk Youth

DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation to create opportunities for at-risk youth to thrive and help them avoid involvement with the criminal justice system. SB25-197 passed the House by a vote of 50-12.

“We’re committed to creating opportunities for at-risk youth to thrive, and that begins with proactive intervention and prevention programming,” said Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver. “The Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program provides after-school and in-school engagement for our kids to help keep them safe and create pathways to success. This bill will reduce administrative barriers so smaller non-profits that sometimes struggle to receive the funding can continue to show up for our kids.” 

SB25-197 modifies and simplifies the TGYS program to better support smaller non-profits, especially those that do not have a full-time grant writer on staff.  The bill restructures the TGYS grant program so smaller non-profit organizations, specifically those with an operating budget under $1.5 million, can apply for and receive grant funding. SB25-197 aims to ease the burden on smaller non-profits by scaling back some logistical requirements to make grant funding more accessible. 

The bill also modifies the board structure of the TGYS program to shift some of the responsibilities to the Colorado Department of Human Services.

For decades, the TGYS program has helped community-based organizations provide prevention and intervention programs for children, youth, and their families. Non-profit organizations provide in-school and after-school programs that work to keep at-risk youth safe, reduce alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, and increase graduation rates.

Mentoring programs have been active in Colorado for years, and national research indicates that structured mentoring programs are an effective tool in combating youth substance use as well as youth crime and violence.