FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2023
MOBILE, Alabama – The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office has announced the launch of their new youth crime-prevention program, the Helping Families Initiative designed to address chronic school truancy.
The Helping Families Initiative (HFI) partners with our local school systems to intervene early by reaching students and families before they are referred to the juvenile justice system, thereby decreasing juvenile arrests and dropout rates.
“Chronic absences from school lead to a propensity for increased crime and victimization among juveniles, negatively impacting our entire community,” says Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood. “This program seeks to eliminate existing truancy problems in Mobile County, reduce crime and ensure a better education and future for our children.”
The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, through the Helping Families Initiative, will act as the central hub connecting students and families to community resources. The HFI Team at the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office is comprised of seven case officers who will serve all Mobile County to strengthen families, improve student behavior and academic engagement.
For the first time ever, every school system in our County has agreed to partner with the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office in this effort.
In coordination with community partners that comprise the HFI Inter Agency Team, the goal is to serve thousands of students and their families across Mobile County to get kids back in school, where they belong. “As we work together to achieve brighter futures, crime will decrease over our entire county,” says Blackwood.
For more information on the Helping Families Initiative, please visit mobileda.org or reach out directly to our HFI Case Officers at (251) 574-3306