Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5/13/2025
Yonkers Coalition for Youth - Community Overview The Yonkers Coalition for Youth (YCY) serves the third precinct within the City of Yonkers, New York. Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in New York State with a total population of 198,654 residents. It is an urban area immediately adjacent to the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Demographic and socioeconomic status data is available from the US Census Bureau. Demographically, Yonkers is 57% white, 17% Black, 16% Other, 7% Asian, and 3% multi-racial. 36% of the residents are Hispanic and 48% of Yonkers’ residents speak a language other than English at home. There are 44,180 children in Yonkers and 44% of these children are low income or poor. According to the NY State Department of Education, 78% of Yonkers’ students qualify for free or reduced lunch. There are hundreds of houses of worship in Yonkers representing many different faiths. The majority of house of worship are Christian denominations, but there is also a large Jewish and Islamic community as well as other religions. Data on sexual orientation and gender identity is anecdotal; local services providers indicate that about 10% of the youth population identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or questioning their orientation (LGBTQ). Because of the large size of the city the Coalition has decided to focus its efforts on the neediest community, the third precinct, which is considered to include some of the most drug-impacted neighborhoods. There are several gangs in the community that are involved in drug dealing and package drugs in small quantities so that young people can afford them. The drug dealing is facilitated by the abundance of abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and hidden alleyways. These local neighborhood gangs which generate income through small-scale drug dealing and they have relatively easy access to larger wholesale dealers who supply them, as the surrounding New York City metro area is a major importation point for drugs. This factor, along with a steady supply of outside customers arriving by nearby highways from surrounding suburbs, makes localized dealing difficult to eradicate. Many of the parents are dealing with the stresses of supporting their children on low incomes, and spend much of their time working at low-wage jobs to which they often commute long distances. Others may have their own substance-abuse problems. Approximately, one-third (33.5%) of the youth surveyed report having a family member who had a severe alcohol or drug problem. As a result, many neighborhood adolescents spend a lot of time unsupervised, hanging out with their peers. This unstructured time lends itself to alcohol and other drug use. The City’s business district was hit hard by the economic downturn in the early 2000s. Many of the food stores and supermarkets failed and smaller “bodegas” have sprung up in their place. In order to survive, these stores sell what they can, which is often high percent alcohol products, vape products, and cigarette “loosies” (single cigarettes sold individually). These stores are awash in alcohol and vaping advertisements. Despite these challenges, the third precinct has embraced the challenge to address alcohol and other drug use. Over the first five years of funding, the Coalition has grown in size, capacity and impact. All sectors of the community have been mobilized to embrace their role in prevention. As a result, alcohol, marijuana and other drug use has been steadily declining. An additional five years of Drug Free Community Support Program funding will provide the resources for the community to create a “tipping point” and turn the tide on alcohol and drug use and related consequences that are negatively impacting the youth of Yonkers.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).