A $6 million state grant to a collaboration between the County of San Diego and the San Diego City Attorney's Office to reduce crime was given final approval Thursday by the California Board of State and Community Corrections.
The Oceanside Unified School District also received an award of nearly $1 million.
The city and county of San Diego grant will fund the expansion of the city's Misdemeanant At-Risk Track Diversion program, and pay for a new county program for community-based services and recidivism reduction, according to the BSCC.
The state agency said social service organizations will work to identify and address issues at the root of a criminal's behavior, advance their wellness and build skills for self-sufficiency.
The Oceanside program, awarded $998,300, is designed to support mental health services, treatment of substance abuse and provide diversion programs that include mentors, case managers, housing assistance and job skills training, among other things.
The program, in which the district partners with the nonprofit North County Lifeline, is designed to keep youth from entering or re-entering the juvenile justice system through assessments, counseling and community service.
In all, the board approved 23 grants totaling $103 million that the agency said is the result of Proposition 47, which reduced penalties for certain crimes and called for savings to be directed to rehabilitative programs.
