MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $29,167 grant to support an Opelika program that guides youthful offenders away from unlawful activities and offers them alternatives that can help lead to successful lives.
Funds to the Curtis House will be used as a major component of the city’s Youth Incarceration Prevention Program in which alternative approaches are taken to keep youthful offenders out of juvenile detention facilities.
“The city of Opelika and the Curtis House have taken a proactive approach to teaching children how to steer from unhealthy temptations and take the necessary steps to become productive adults,” Gov. Ivey said. “I am pleased to support this program which help participants turn their lives around.”
The Curtis House expects to work with at least 80 youthful offenders and provide them with services that address their behavior problems. The program will also assist youth in completing their high school education or obtaining a GED certificate and will work with them to ensure they receive job training.
The non-profit agency interacts with people of all ages and engages them in community projects that will benefit them and other residents.
Gov. Ivey awarded the grant from funds supplied to the state through the U.S. Department of Justice. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the award.
“Gov. Ivey knows that without programs like Curtis House that juveniles who commit crimes without that needed intervention are most likely to commit even more serious ones and are likely to spend much of their lives in jails and prisons,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to join with the governor in this program that helps provide a positive path for participants.”
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.
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Media Contact
Jim Plott or Mike Presley
ADECA Communications and External Affairs
(334) 242-5525
