Rozzi announces $238K grant to address gun violence

READING, Dec. 2 – State Rep. Mark Rozzi today announced that the Salvation Army of Reading received a $238,062 grant to implement trauma-informed group sessions for families and children impacted by gun violence.

The grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency will support the salary of a full-time social worker and their benefits, travel expenses, one laptop, food, crafts and educational supplies. Additional costs would be for the behavioral health specialist leading the trauma-informed groups and training of staff on trauma-informed support. Other costs include utilities, property, liability, phone, and postage.

“Sadly, too many families have been impacted and too many lives have been lost by gun violence in Reading. When someone experiences something this traumatic, they often don’t know where to go or who to reach out to in order to feel understood and heard, so I’m confident that funding from this grant will help change that,” Rozzi said.

This grant comes from PCCD’s Violence Intervention & Prevention grant program. VIP funding is intended to support effective local intervening and preventative measures to stop gun and group violence in areas experiencing high rates of violent crime within Pennsylvania. Learn more about this program here: https://www.pccd.pa.gov/criminaljustice/GunViolence/Pages/Grants-and-Funding.aspx.

Anyone with questions should call Rozzi’s office at 610-921-8921.