Capacity Building Structures
Young people and their families frequently interface with numerous local agencies within and outside of city government. Many cities have created a mayor’s office or department that provides strategic direction for the range of services available through the city or its partners.
All cities grapple with how to pay for services that improve outcomes for children and families. Local officials have developed numerous creative financing strategies to fund these services.
Data-driven approaches help city leaders understand local needs, identify gaps in services, evaluate programs, and target effective interventions toward individual children and families. Cities are finding new ways to share local data more effectively.
By concentrating city investment in a targeted neighborhood, city officials can reach their community’s most vulnerable residents while developing promising approaches that can be brought to citywide scale.
More than 30 cities have created comprehensive youth master plans that coordinate services provided by multiple stakeholders. These plans allow city officials, school leaders, community partners and youth to take stock of local programs and services for young people, identify cost savings, reduce duplication of services, and strategically address pressing needs.