>> good morning, i'm pat lawson muse. in 2012 prince george's county executive looked around the county and identified the most troubled community and came up with a plan to help them. it is a program that puts concentrated government resources into those communities to try to turn them around. our guests this morning are linda turner, manager of transforming neighborhoods u the initiative. nicole jackson young is the program manager. thank you, ladies, for joining me this morning. >> thank you for having us. >> linda, the goal at tni obviously was to improve

these communities for people who are facing economic and health care and public safety and educational challenges. so, how is tni working? >> transforming neighborhoods initiative, which is county executive baker signature program is working very well, and his vision of the program was for -- to bring the government resources into the communities and work directly with the community members, help them identify the resources that are available to them, and work through the issues that were plaguing them. and after speaking with community members, going from meeting to meeting, he realized that there were -- the police department was very reactive when the community members would call. he wanted the entire government reacting to his residents in a similar manner. >> like the police department. >> correct. >> so, you initially identified six communities. langl

bladensburg east riverdale, hillcrest heights, objection enhill. what kind of progress have you been able to make in those communities? >> the crime has dropped significantly. we are tracking around 45% reduction in crime. we have addressed code enforcement and blight issues. we are also working with the school system and putting resources in the schools to assist families. >> nicole, forestville was one of three that were added after the initial six. how are things going in forestville? >> well, forestville is a great area to work in. i've had previous experience in glass manner, oxen hill. forestville is an active community base. i've attended several of the civic association meetings and i'm able to get my pulse on what's going on, the needs they want to address so that we can begin the

a neighborhood plan. >> and what are the biggest issues facing forestville residents? >> similar to the other areas, we find that their issues with illegal dumping, issues with beautification. the residents are interesting in programming and we really want to make sure that we're leveraging our government resources to address those concerns. >> linda, in addition to the six that you started, there were three that started their own transformations. langley park, east river dale and glass manor. tell us what that meant. >> well, the progress that had been made in those three communities, working with the community leaders, were at a point based on the 14 indicators that we could transition the management of the transforming neighborhoods initiative over to the community leaders. so, they're actually managing those three areas themselves. and it was never county executive baker's intent to remain in one transforming initiative indefinitely.

members to get into the communities, work side by side with the community leaders so that they were able to advocate on their own behalf. >> you mentioned indicators. you run this using an indicator system. what's an indicator and how does that work? >> sure. well, there's 14 indicators that we use to track our progress, and they can be found on our website and it tracks the progress all the way back to 2010. even though the transforming neighborhood initiative began in 2012. and the indicators are crime, code enforcement, domestic violence cases, we have school indicators. so, there's a variety we are constantly tracking. >> residents can log onto the website and see how well their own communities and neighborhoods are doing in these areas? >> yes, that's the beauty of it. we have a page for each of the

nine tni areas, and they can track the indicators from inception until the point in time where we have the real data. >> we're going to take a break and we'll be right back to continue our talk on transforming neighborhood initiatives in prince george's county.

welcome back. we're talking about transforming neighborhood initiatives in prince george's. linda young -- i'm sorry, linda turner. while the county started this initiative, success depends very much on the people who live in these neighborhoods in these communities, working together with the businesses, the community-based organizations, faith-based groups, schools, businesses. tell us how responsive people have been, residents themselves have been to improve the quality of life. >> the residency extreme value with this program with the teams

representatives from the community, the government, nonprofits, the faith-based community, business community, all working together and they're watching -- the community members can watch us side by side. how do we resolve an issue that is bothering them or concern? and then they walk step in step with us with resolving that particular issue. and what we do is we get in there and get into a community. we identify, what are some of the top issues that are really plaguing the community? and then we develop a neighborhood action plan to work through the issues with them. so, they're seeing hand in hand how we resolve issues. >> linda -- i'm sorry, nicole, do you see progress in forestville? would you say the quality of life for those who live there has improved, is improving? >> well, we've been in the area a little shy of about four or five months, so, we actually held our first community meeting on april 19th. what i saw

was that the community is buying in. we had a really good turnout. i think that's the start. you have to have that engagement, that connection with the community where they know you're committed and you're going to be there and they in turn are responding. so, i'm hoping that we will address, you know, those issues in the community and the quality of life will continue to improve. >> what are some of the projects that you have underway that are now underway in forestville and what's in the pipeline there? >> well, one of the things that we like to do is address infrastructure. i like to use the term urban suburban, if you will, where our county doesn't necessarily have the infrastructure in terms of sidewalks and walkable paths for residents. so, i've already been informed that that's a big issue for those who live in the community. and we like to do a sustain able community designation project in the area where we're able to provide those sidewalks for the community. >> sidewalks, those are sort of basics, aren't they? >> yes, they are basic infrastructure. however, the government has limited resources. so, when

issues identified with within a transforming neighborhoods community, they're going to receive priority attention. >> interesting. linda, how can viewers who live in those communities or people who want to get involved with this initiative do that? >> i recommend they go to the county's website and connect to the transforming neighborhoods initiative. on each page of the -- there is an area for each page. and at the bottom of the page they can connect with us by joining our distribution list. we also are on facebook under transforming neighborhoods initiative and we're on twitter at pgctni. >> do residents in these communities like adopt their streets, their neighborhoods? you know, one of the ways to improve the quality of life in one of the neighborhoods, for example, in kent allen, they get oute

quarter and they clean up, they pickup trash. they get out and they plant. there is a beautification club. these are things that the residents themselves do to help their own communities, and they do what the county doesn't have to do because they're doing it themselves. do you see those kinds of things happening in those tni areas? >> absolutely. >> uh-huh. >> in particular, we have several community associations within each of the tni areas, and the neighborhood watch groups, they'll plan walks throughout their community on a friday evening or saturday morning, and we'll actually join them and we'll walk through their communities and pickup trash or identify any issues that need to be brought to our attention. >> i understand your program has been adopted by baltimore, baltimore city. >> yes, it has. >> and other cities are considering. >> baltimore city has identified their program, transformation n

t nirks i and we've also been contacted across the nation by areas within delaware and texas interested in adopting the tni program which the county executive is very excited to share his program across the nation. >> very important work, nicole, in communities, urban areas that are struggling all over the country. >> absolutely. >> this is important work. thank you so much for being with us. linda turner and nicole jackson young. thanks. >> thank you for having us. >> continue doing the great work you're doing. >> thank you. and happy mothers day. >> thank you, same to you. and next how the dulles greenway drive for charity is helping three nonprofits in northern virginia. we'll be right back.

narrator:to do time is what is right. ralph northam. army doctor during the gulf war. volunteer director of a pediatric hospice. progressive democrat. in the senate, he passed the smoking ban in restaurants, stopped the transvaginal ultrasound anti-choice law, and stood up to the nra. as lieutenant governor, dr. northam is fighting to expand access to affordable healthcare. ralph northam believes in making progress every day. and he won't let donald trump stop us.

welcome back. well, if you use it, you know the dulles greenway is a 14-mile tooa

airport with leesburg. the greenway does more than get you from point a to b. every year there is a drive for charity, a single day on which all of the tolls collected are dedicated to local loudoun charities. last year the drive contributed more than $330,000 to nonprofits. joining us now are representatives of three of the six groups that will benefit this year. ramon parker is with the loudoun free clinic. chuck harris is with fresh air full care. and nikola costa is with the loudoun abused women's shelter. thank you all for being with us. nicole, let me start with you. tell us about the work at the shelter. >> sure. the shelter provides crisis intervention to child and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse in loudoun. last year we served 1100 victims and about 300 of them were children. >> how many shelters like that are there in loudoun? >> we're the only domestic violence shelter in loud london

for domestic and sexual violence victims in loudoun as well. >> pretty critical service there. chuck, at fresh air full care you provide year round day care for working parents. tell us about your services. >> we work with the county family services. there are approximately 600 to 700 children three years to 12 years that qualify for working parents. only half of those are served by funds from federal and state and local government. and we try to fill that gap with all those kids that don't -- wouldn't get child care services. >> and you work in conjunction with family services? >> yes, yes. >> ramon, patients who go to the loudoun free clinic are uninsured patients or patients who are caught in the cracks there? >> both of them. so, there are patients who are 18 to 64 who are 200% or below federal poverty rates. so, we're able to provide primary care,

mental health, as well as medications, imaging and also laboratory results for those patients at little to no charge. >> is your clinic full these days? >> it is, and, so, we've had to find a way to provide more walk-in visits now because the patients that we have that are existing patients who take up a lot of the appointment times, and so we've shifted around some of our staff. we're adding some new providers, both volunteer and staff and so we're able to take care of that volume today. before we'd have wait lists for hundreds of patients that were there, now we're just back to about a thousand patients roughly. and, so, we're opening more slots, though, for walk-in because of demand. >> does anybody get turned away? >> we don't turn folks away unless they don't fit into the 200% of federal poverty or over 64 years of age. our patrons that are 64, we do transitional visits for when they turn 65 and then we look t

continue their care. >> nicole, you serve primarily women, but you're also helping children and men? >> yes. >> who are victims of domestic abuse? >> yes. we'll serve any victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse in loudoun who needs assistance. >> and they need to be loudoun residents? >> yes. >> tell us, you know, some of what you're seeing now. are your numbers increasing? there's a lot of domestic violence in the news unfortunately. >> yes. so, our numbers are always increasing in the sense of how many people are requesting services, but also the needs they have are growing more and more significant as loudoun county continues to grow as a community. >> chuck, if i were a working mother and needed child care and came to your fresh air facility, would i be able to get my child

>> well, you'd have to apply to the loudoun family services department and you'd have less than 50% chance of getting subsidized child care because the need far exceeds the amount of funds that are available. >> in fact, you're bursting at the seams. you've got a long -- >> loudoun is one of the rich est counties in the u.s., we still have a large number of working poor who makeup to 45,000 a year, but can't afford safe licensed child care. >> it's so expensive. >> it is. it's hugely expensive, and yet we expect these people to work and not go to welfare and sometimes the choice is do i have a safe place for my child or do i stop working. and that's not a good choice. >> no choice to have to make. >> no. >> all right. we're talking about the drive for charity and these are nonprofits that will benefit from the drive next week. stay with us. we'll be right back.

welcome back. we're talking about the dulles greenway drive coming up on thursday. i want to ask you, nicole, about the thrift store and your hot line. those are two services that you offer to the women at the shelter. >> yes. so, at our thrift store, the resource for women, we accept gently used items and we sell them back to the community to raise money for our shelter, but we also give a lot of those donations away to women who come in and might need clothing or other items. and our hot line is a 24-hour number where they can call and get resources any time of day. >> ramon, you're offering the services of specialists. you have 15? >> that's right. they come out to the clinic for our patients so they don't have

from home with friends just to get to the next step in their care. orthodox peed i felts, urologists, endocrinologists come out to the site to see our patients. >> they do this because they want to do this? >> they do. it's interesting. i've talked to them and said, so, you have this busy burgeoning practice. are you going to be able to do this? they said, remember, i came to you. i say, that's true. so, they do want to offer those services and they do find a value in doing that not only for the patients they have, but they see a greater need for the community. and want to provide some help with that impact and it's wonderful. >> it is wonderful. examine, chuck, at fresh air full care, you have something special for the children. summer camp. >> the funds we get from the dulles greenway we use for six weeks of summer camp or more for 09 to 90 or 100 kids who wouldn't otherwise get to go. it's for loudoun

>> in terms of the numbers of children you're able to accommodate? >> well, the funds we get from the greenway service about 90 to 110 kids every year that wouldn't otherwise get to go. >> you make a lot of kids happy in the summer. >> and parents. >> and parents of course, yes. that's so critical. the funds that you all get from the drive for charity are -- have become your lifeblood. is that true, nicole? >> absolutely. the dulles greenway is one of our biggest donors and every year the donation they provide helps us provide all of our core services free of charge to victims who come through our doors, including free legal assistance and counseling. >> so, you really depend on these funds. >> absolutely. >> you get donations, but i guess you can't make it on those. >> no, i mean we rely on donations and grant funds, but this particular donation and all of the riders who come through who pay the toll that date help our crisis intervention

funds this year? at the clinic? >> so, we're able to provide patient care visits for less than $100 a visit. its cost to the clinic. so, if you were to dedivide that by roughly what we get every year, we can serve 300 to 400 patients with this. that's a third . patients we see. again, without this donation that would be very difficult to not be able to serve those patients. >> so, the services that you provide from them -- for them are provided at a nominal fee to the patients? >> yes. so, we provide the actual patient care services at no charge, things like test strips, we also outsource our dental work because dental is very important to the entire health of the patient. we outsource that to another organization in our area. so, outside of those costs, everything, medication, imaging, laboratory tests, those are actually at no cost at all to the patient. we do that through a lot of different partners. >> chuck, same question to you. in terms of

funds that are donated to you -- are to you? >> especially to the kids that they help, and like i said, there's 90 to 110 every year. this will be the 12th year of the greenway doing this. so, i've encouraged my coworkers to take the day off on thursday and drive up and down the greenway. not many take me up on that, but i would encourage it of your listeners, too. >> yes. this should make them feel better about paying those tolls? >> it should. >> all right. well, we thank you so much for coming. nikola costa, the loudoun abused women's shelter. chuck harris with fresh air full care. ramon, parker loudoun free clinic, thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> and dulles greenway drive for charity again takes place on thursday, may 18th, and nbc 4 is one of the event sponsors. to learn more, log on to nbc washington.com and search community. thanks for being with us this morning.

news 4 today is next.

introducing the fios gigabit connection with download speeds up to 940 megs that are 20x faster and more powerful than most people have.

comcast charges you $89.99 for a triple play that only offers 200 mgs speeds. switch to the most powerful internet at the most revolutionary price. get fios gigabit connection for $79.99 a month and we'll give you tv, hbo for one year and multi-room dvr service for 2 years all with a 2 year agreement. so act fast. go to fiosgigabit.com

news 4 today starts now. right now on news 4 today, an unusual call for firefighters. what sparked a dangerous situation inside a fire house that sends dozens rushing to help. pedal to the pavement. thousands take off for the d.c. bike ride. we're there live with the emotional story and the major traffic impact for you drivers out there. if you haven't found a mother's day gift late, you're late, but storm team 4 might be able to help. tom tracking a big warm-up that might make mom happy on this mother's day. and yes, happy mother's day to all the moms out there. >> yes. >> sun comes up over the nation's capitol, let's make today a gre