BATON ROUGE - Several community leaders will host a meeting on reducing crime in North Baton Rouge Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the BREC's Gus Young Park. 

The meeting is part of the Bryne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Grant the city received in 2014. It was awarded to address crime problems in six Baton Rouge communities which residents call "Hope Zones." These zones include Istrouma, Midtown, Eden Park, Greenville Extension, Smiley Heights and Melrose East.

Residents will have the opportunity to talk about the issues North Baton Rouge is facing, including lack of youth programs, unemployment, and relationship between them and law enforcement. Strategies to address these issues have been developed based on community feedback.

The BCJI is one of the U.S. Department of Justice's programs under the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. It seeks to decrease crimnal activity in communities by changing the factors contributing to criminal and illegal behavior.