Local municipalities, colleges and community groups have until February 7 to apply for state grants to boost safety and reduce violence, according to Senator Dan Laughlin.
The grants are part of a new program that was included in the 2018-19 state budget to improve school safety and combat community violence. A total of $7.5 million will be awarded statewide through June 30 to support violence prevention programs.
Eligible uses for the grants include mentoring services and other intervention services for at-risk children and families; promoting communication between school entities and law enforcement; linking the community with local trauma support and behavioral health systems; and other programs designed to reduce community violence.
“The Commonwealth must be proactive in promoting activities that make our communities and schools safer. That is why I strongly supported this violence prevention program and pushed for it to be included in the 2018-19 budget,” Senator Laughlin said. “I urge all Erie County municipalities, schools and community organization to apply for this funding to support violence prevention initiatives.”
Applications and more information about the grants are available on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s website at www.pccd.pa.gov under the School Safety and Security heading.
A total of $52.5 million in grants will also be awarded to school districts during the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, to improve school safety. The first round of those school safety grants was announced in October.
More information on school safety measures under consideration in the General Assembly is available online at https://www.pasenategop.com/school-safety/.
Contact: Matt Azeles mazeles@pasen.gov