Philadelphia – Dec. 2, 2021 – State Sen. Art Haywood (D- Montgomery/Philadelphia) announced today that $250,000 in Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant funding has been awarded to local organization, Why Not Prosper.
“Violence in our communities wears on us mentally, physically, and economically. One of the most important aspects of the human experience is feeling safe, and people cannot feel safe if there is violence in our schools, and gun violence in our street and communities,” Haywood said.
The awarded funding will allow Why Not Prosper to implement a two-part antiviolence program. The first part of the program will utilize outreach workers who will divert individuals at risk of perpetuating gun violence into educational programs. The second part of the antiviolence program will implement a Community Response Network of trained crisis intervention workers to serve those impacted by gun violence.
“The work of Why Not Proper, led by Rev. Dr. Michelle Anne Simmons, is an excellent example of how we can produce true change in our communities. We must fund violence reduction programs, and we must support the grassroots organizations doing the work creating peace on the ground,” Haywood said.
The $250,000 in Violence Intervention and Prevention grant funding comes from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and their School Safety and Security Committee.
For more information about grant funding available through PCCD, please visit pccd.pa.gov/funding.