Top Ten Reasons why Chicago needs a Comprehensive Chicago Directory of Youth Violence Resources - Part II

Our January 25 post gave a David Letterman-style Top Ten reasons why Chicago needs a comprehensive Youth Resource Directory (YRD). Here's the promised follow up to it, belatedly. We've spoken with representatives of most of the 25 groups listed below, requesting their input on the status of current efforts (if any) to create a comprehensive YRD of youth development and youth violence reduction resources that would be universally available to all Chicagoans. The 25 groups:

1. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
2. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 
1. Chicago MidSouth Community Resource Directory (2005)
3. Chicago Community Trust 
1. African American Legacy Initiative List of Grant Recipients
2. CCT's Collaboratories Asset Mapping group
4. City of Chicago, Office of the Mayor
1. Mayor's Commission for a Safer Chicago - Strategic Plan for 2015
5. Code for America
6. Community Media Workshop
1.  We Are Not Alone
7. Get In Chicago
8. Golden Apple Foundation
9. Heartland Alliance
10. Illinois Department of Human Resources
11. Illinois Department of Public Health: 
1. Violence Prevention Task Force
12. Jewish Vocational Services (JVS Chicago)
13. LISC Chicago
1. Areas of Work and Neighborhoods
14. MacArthur Foundation 
15. McCormick Foundation
16. NorthBridge Technology Alliance
17. Purple Binder
18. Smart Chicago Collaborative
19. Strengthening Chicago's Youth 
20. Thrive Chicago
21. Tutor/Mentor Institute
    
22. UIC Great Cities Institute
23. UCAN
24. United Way
25. YMCA

Here's what we've learned so far. Everyone agrees on the need for a comprehensive YRD. Many agree with us that the need is urgent. Yet no one in Chicago is currently planning to create a YRD. No one could give us even a rough estimate of the costs to create a comprehensive YRD: costs to 

• Gather resources for the YRD (estimate several thousand resources)
• Compile YRD resources (on a database)
• Design the YRD, ensuring multiple search functions, including maps.
• House the YRD (on a user-friendly online platform)
• Disseminate the YRD (promote and publicize it in media to multiple audiences: Chicagoans, resource providers, local and national media, and to city, state and national leaders)
• Update the YRD (over a 10 year period). 

If it turns out the costs of creating a comprehensive YRD are prohibitive, we are now asking these 25 groups for their input on the utility and cost-effectiveness of a serviceable YRD. CCM's exploration of the functionality of a universally accessible, low cost YRD can be found at this Planning Page for a (serviceable) YRD.