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CHARLOTTE -- The local outreach program Gang of One is getting more funding to help people get out of gangs. Monday night, the Charlotte City Council approved a state grant totaling more than $550,000.

The graffiti markings, drawings and hand signs paint an undeniable picture of the gang threat in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. That gang presence and the crimes associated with gang activity are why those in Gang of One work around the clock.

“We are starting to see what we'd hoped we might when we began Gang of One in 2004,” said Cook.

Gang of One is about to grow again. The group is being awarded a state grant that will create a Reentry and Intervention Team. For the first time, case managers will work closely with 40 to 50 incarcerated youth offenders who'll be released from area detention centers in the coming months.

“We'll be working with them before release, while they are transitioning back into Mecklenburg County,” said Cook.

The managers will keep tabs on the former youth offenders for several months, ensuring the teenagers get the services they need, and working to make sure they don't drift back into the gang lifestyle. “There's a high probability that many of these youth will go right back into criminal activity and gang association,” said Cook.

The state grant is another step in the growth and evolution of Gang of One. In the second half of last year, Gang of One's nearly 20 programs reached out to 5,400 people. Also, the group's 24-hour hotline received 275 calls, including those related to 46 young people at risk of joining a gang.

“These are individuals who have not been criminally involved, yet,” said Cook.

Currently Gang of One has five total staff members. Officials expected to hire two more case managers this summer, and with the state grant money they could hire up to four more staff members by the beginning of next year.