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Chattanooga city council members are expected to vote Tuesday evening on a local organization that will help the city fight crime.

After the city parted ways with Richard Bennett, four local organizations submitted bids to help the city with its Violence Reduction Initiative.

Allen Shropshire says he started from the bottom.

"I had a lot of charges, theft, gun charges, all of that, I've done a lot of things that I wasn't proud of," said Shropshire.

And now he's serving as a summer camp counselor and he's making straight A's in college. He credits Hope for the Inner City for much of his success.

"I felt like it was either jail or the streets and this was an opportunity to better myself and become something," said Shropshire.

Pending a vote from city council members, the city plans to award Hope for the Inner City $290,000 to help with its Violence Reduction Initiative. The funds are coming from the City of Chattanooga Police department's budget. Paul Green from Hope for the Inner City says they're more than able to help ex-offenders and gang members.

"We have a lot of experience, and we've been working with gang members for the past 6 or 7 years," said Paul Green from Hope for the Inner City.

With nearly $300,000, Hope for the Inner City Executive Director Paul Green says they plan to use a comprehensive approach that includes hiring people for emergency response and mentoring.

"As folks step out and say I want to change, we'll be there to meet them, whether it's answering the 24-hour hotline that we will man or providing a strategic plan like case management," said Paul Green.

"Their connections with other resources in the community, and they're connections with other databases, and how to share information and keep confidentiality of those who are being served, those are strong points for us," said the city of Chattanooga public safety coordinator Paul Smith.

Allen Shropshire says the city is making the right decision with this partnership.

"A lot of my brothers feel like there's no way out and Hope for the Inner City, it's a way out," said Shropshire.

Depend on us to let you know what the city council decides.

By Jerry Askin