Susana Segat

An 11-year-old boy recently walked into John P. Holland Elementary School in Dorchester with a gun. The incident marked the first time a loaded handgun was found inside an elementary school in Boston.

That very same day, the Guardian Angels, a New York-based group that trains civilian members to patrol high crime areas in order to deter incidents and keep the peace, were making plans to set up shop in Boston in response to the recent surge of violent crimes, a spike underscored by the fact that the homicide rate in Boston is at an 11-year high and up 44 percent from this very same point last year.

The outrage is palpable as our communities come under siege and local leaders huddle to try to deal with the increasing violence. Eleven-year-olds with guns, teens shooting each other in broad daylight on city streets, tourists getting caught in the crosshairs — it is clear that we have a serious and escalating problem on our hands. But the solution isn’t just about the Guardian Angels or about increased police presence.

The answer undoubtedly includes the dedicated people who work for the Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF). These men and women have been patrolling our city’s streets and responding to violent and escalating situations for close to two decades. But their responsibility extends past the street corner.

BCYF employees are charged with mentoring Boston youth in safe havens such as community, after-school and athletic centers, and providing additional support for families dealing with the everyday struggles of urban life.

What makes BCYF Streetworkers and youth advocates unique and successful in keeping violence in check are their intertwined relationships in their communities. They live alongside youth and feel the shockwave of city violence because they themselves are also city residents.

Despite their tremendous responsibilities and marked success in the work they perform, BCYF has been dying a slow death, and while the crime rate rises, budget cuts slash the funding needed to keep BCYF Streetworkers on the job.

Back in the early 1990s, when the crime rate was rising and the red flags flying, the number of BCYF Streetworkers patrolling our neighborhoods reached an all-time high. Elected leaders were investing in the program — both in spirit and with the city’s budget.

Today, lack of funding leaves the program neglected and forces Streetworkers into dangerous situations. For instance, Streetworkers who once patrolled in pairs now walk their beats — where exposure to weapons, drugs and volatile youth are all part of the territory — alone.

Earlier this month, Boston City Councilor Charles Yancey spoke about the insufficient number of current Streetworkers — a mere 21 — and recommended that the city hire an additional 300 to adequately respond to the escalating youth violence on city streets.

It has also been suggested by both City Councilor Mike Ross and former Streetworker and current BCYF Executive Director Robert Lewis Jr. that with the pattern of increased violence during the coming summer months, BCYF community centers should extend their hours to give the city’s youth a safe place to go during the late hours of June, July and August. Is the city prepared? Or will our city streets grow darker and more dangerous as we listen to excuse after excuse as to why we cannot secure our city’s future?

According to figures from the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center, in 2004, 90 percent of Boston youth reported witnessing or being victimized by at least one type of violence in the past year. Of this 90 percent, 50 percent were exposed to violence in their neighborhoods, on the street, on their way to or from school or on the MBTA. Not surprisingly, exposure to violence was found to be in direct correlation to a number of negative factors, including higher rates of truancy, poorer school performance and depression.

As Mayor Thomas M. Menino so poignantly stated, “[Streetworkers] are out in our neighborhoods, building relationships with at-risk kids and working hand-in-hand with law enforcement to diffuse violence and bringing new energy to our ongoing commitment to make Boston the safest city in America.” It is time we honor, respect, and appreciate the Streetworkers that serve as guardian angels on the most dangerous streets of our city everyday.

Susana Segat is president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 888, which represents over 9,000 education and public sector workers in Massachusetts.