the idea, get communities involved to stop the violence. >> nri! nri! >> reporter: how? on this chilly afternoon, teenagers across chicago's south side are paid to hand out flyers -- >> you have a nice day, sir. >> reporter: -- and spread a message of nonviolence. the nri is credited with creating about 3,500 temporary jobs, mentoring youth and parents, providing re-entry services and counseling in schools. but our four-month investigation found those jobs included handing out flyers, attending yoga class, taking museum field trips, even marching with the governor in a parade. the jobs are now gone. cnn has taken an extensive look at where the money went, what it did, and most importantly, the timing of how the program was rolled out. the neighborhood recovery initiative began sending money to tough neighborhoods in the city of chicago right before chicago voters went to the polls. according to these minutes from a state meeting, a member of the governor's staff promised, quote, allocating some of the funds for this initiative immediately, the rest after the election. >>