Convention Invites Gang Prevention Group

A South-Central Los Angeles gang prevention center has been selected to take part in the President’s Summit for America’s Future, a national convention slated for April 27-29 in Philadelphia.

A Place Called Home, founded in 1993 to provide an after-school facility for Jefferson High School students, now serves 1,000 inner-city youngsters.

“A Place Called Home is a real haven,” said columnist Arianna Huffington, a member of the summit steering committee. “Walking in, you get an incredible sense that problems can be solved at the local level with that kind of commitment. It should be seen as a national example.”

Center executive director and founder Debrah Constance said what her program has to offer “is a really simple answer to a problem that seems so big. That’s having mentors and having a safe environment and offering other alternatives for kids.”