The Boston Foundation has announced a $5 million commitment to a public-private partnership designed to reduce violent crime among 16- to 24-year-olds in the city.

The $26 million StreetSafe Boston initiative is designed to decrease by 10 percent the number of violent crimes in five neighborhoods�where a significant percentage of the city's youth homicide, assaults, and gun violence has occurred. The initiative also will work to increase the number of at-risk youth involved in community programs and services, especially during weekend and evening hours; create a culture of safety in the neighborhoods; and establish partnerships between law enforcement, city leadership, nonprofits, and community leaders.

During the first phase of the initiative, the Boston Ten Point Coalition will work to train and deploy twenty-five people to engage some two thousand youth deemed most at risk for committing violent offenses; phase two will involve expanding hours and services, including job training, at social service organizations in the neighborhoods. Other partners in the initiative include Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino and other city leaders; the�Boston Police Department; and organizations that serve Boston neighborhoods, including the State Street and Barr foundations.

"At a time when economic constraints are the rule, here is a broad partnership that is expanding and enlarging a significant program in order to better serve the city," said�Boston Foundation president and CEO Paul S. Grogan. "The goal is to improve the quality of life for everyone by reducing the level of violent crime and by giving young people at risk constructive and positive alternatives."