This department works closely with all of our affiliate networks around community development and organizing issues. This department functions in partnership with each community affiliate to facilitate discussions and plan actions that impact the communities and its residents. For example, with the transformation of Public Housing the department of Community Development was able to facilitate discussions that resulted in the concept of service connectors that assists public housing residents as they move into other communities.
This department manages all of CAP forty-one community affiliates. These affiliates have historically worked in partnership with local law enforcement agencies and schools to provide both intervention and prevention services. CAP and its affiliates were practicing Restorative Justice before this became a recognized approach. The CAP affiliates were places in the community where system and community stakeholders came together to discuss and plan strategies to address juvenile crime and community violence.
This department is where new and innovative initiatives are incubated and piloted before being rolled out to the affiliate network. An example of how restorative justice is approached and implemented is that issues and concerns generated in the community are articulated by the affiliate and then researched and planned in partnership with all community stakeholders. This demonstrates a restorative approach in ensuring that the community is involved in the planning and implementation of all new programs and services. An example is the current partnership CAP has with the Chicago Public Schools and other community based programs to use restorative justice as an approach to school discipline.
Department of Strategic Initiatives is CAP's newest department in the organization and is currently providing guidance and development to the community through capacity building efforts for the affiliate network. This capacity building effort is a partnership between the Federal Department of Human Services, CAP and seven of the affiliates. The intent of this capacity building initiative is to ensure that the affiliate network has the organizational and programmatic capacity to provide youth services that address crime and violence.
