Youth Safety

We prioritize safety by addressing risks early, supporting positive alternatives, and funding community-driven solutions. These initiatives reduce violence, strengthen trust, and connect youth and families to the resources they need to thrive.


Alternatives to Violence (ATV)

Alternatives to Violence (ATV) works to stop violence before it happens in Charlotte’s Beatties Ford Road, West Boulevard, and Nations Ford Road areas. Using a proven public health approach, ATV focuses on three core strategies:

  1. Detecting and interrupting conflicts
  2. Identifying and supporting individuals at highest risk of violence
  3. Changing community norms around violence

ATV team members are trusted community messengers. These trained violence interrupters and outreach workers are based in the neighborhoods they serve and work to prevent violence by:

  • Identifying and mediating potentially violent conflicts
  • Following up to ensure conflicts are resolved peacefully
  • Engaging with individuals at high risk of involvement in violence
  • Connecting people with services and support such as job opportunities, mental health care, housing resources, and more

ATV Locations and Community Partners

Beatties Ford Rd./West Blvd.

The ATV team in the Beatties Ford Rd./LaSalle area partners with the Youth Advocate Programs (YAP). YAP provides individualized support and intervention strategies to youth and families, with a focus on violence prevention, mentorship, and building positive alternatives to conflict.

Nations Ford Rd.

In the Nations Ford Rd. area, ATV partners with the Urban League of Central Carolinas, a historic civil rights organization that connects individuals to education, employment, and empowerment resources. Their ATV team focuses on reducing violence while helping residents access long-term pathways to success.

How to Partner or Get Involved

Are you a community organization, business, or individual interested in partnering with Alternatives to Violence? To learn more or connect with the ATV team, email youth@charlottenc.gov.

Youth Diversion

The Youth Diversion program is a city of Charlotte first-time offender program that offers youth ages 6-17 an alternative to the juvenile justice system while maintaining accountability for low-level offenses and providing appropriate support to redirect behavior through life skills programming.

Referrals

Diversion receives pre-arrest referrals recommended by law enforcement agencies within Mecklenburg County. These offenses may include:

  • Simple assault
  • Larceny
  • Trespassing
  • Public affray
  • Communicating threats
  • Disorderly conduct
  • Damage to property
  • Weapons law violations
  • Alcohol or drug violations

Program Process

  1. Youth commits a first-time lower-level misdemeanor offense.
  2. A school or patrol officer writes a report without making a juvenile arrest.
  3. A Diversion Specialist schedules an intake at the police department or school.
  4. Youth are assigned to appropriate life skills programs (up to eight hours) based on an assessment.
  5. Youth are also required to complete an interactive Change Companies Journal.
  6. Upon program completion, the case is closed. If the program is declined, the case is sent back to the originating officer for processing.
  7. A notification letter of completion or decline is mailed to the family.

Program Expectations

Youth and guardian will be required to attend intake.

  • Youth are required to participate in 8-hours of scheduled programming.
  • Parents will be required to attend 2 hours of the scheduled programming.

Participation is voluntary. However, if your child refuses to participate, or if you as the parent/guardian do not allow them to participate, charges may be filed. For more information, please reach out to youthdiversion@charlottenc.gov.

Youth Safety

The SAFE Charlotte Grant Program, a key initiative from the SAFE Charlotte Plan, allocates grant dollars to Charlotte-based nonprofits to address community violence and promote safety. The program focuses on fostering collaboration among local organizations to create a stable, supportive environment that addresses the root causes of violence while advancing economic mobility. These grants target individuals and families below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

The program’s funding supports nonprofits working within four key focus areas:

  • Youth Services: Targeting individuals aged 13 to 19, providing recreational activities and counseling.
  • Child Care Services: Supporting children under age 13, with programs such as parenting skills classes and early childhood education.
  • Employment Training: Offering workforce development programs like resume building, job training, and skills development.
  • Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Care: Providing mental health support, including counseling, case management, and trauma recovery services.

Each participating organization receives up to $430,000 in grant funds over two years, which includes $30,000 for the Capacity Building phase. This phase equips organizations with the tools and training needed for federal fund usage, alongside planning and collaboration to ensure effective service delivery.

The grant recipients have included:

  • 2022: United Way of Greater Charlotte
  • 2023: Care Ring, Inc., MeckEd, Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte
  • 2024: Center for Prevention Services, Latin American Coalition, ourBridge Inc.

The program fosters collaboration to tackle violence and create stronger, safer communities while providing vital services to those most in need. It. By providing these resources, the SAFE Charlotte Grant aims to reduce violence, strengthen community ties, and promote long-term social and economic progress.

SAFE Charlotte Grant

Community Violence Dashboard

The dashboard is intended to introduce several indicators of community violence including homicides and violent crimes. In the future, this dashboard will include other key indicators of crime including youth violence, intimate partner violence, emergency department visitations and other measures.

Community Violence Data Dashboard

Hospital Based Violence Intervention

The city has partnered with Atrium Health to launch an evidence-based hospital-based violence intervention program that will work with victims of violence who require medical assistance from Atrium.

The FY 2024 budget allocated $250,000 from the city, matched by $250,000 from Atrium Health, to continue funding this program. The initiative pairs victims of violent crime with case managers and provides wraparound services aimed at reducing the likelihood of them becoming future victims or perpetrators of violence. In the coming year, Atrium Health will take the lead in enhancing internal infrastructure and support for the program, while also strengthening the connection between ATV and the hospital-based violence intervention program-based intervention services.

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