Abney: $10.3 million in state grants awarded to decrease community gun violence

Rep. Aerion Andrew Abney January 12, 2023 | 12:10 PM

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 12 – State Rep. Aerion A. Abney, D-Allegheny, announced today that a total of $10.3 million in state grants is being awarded to multiple Allegheny County entities for the purpose of preventing and limiting the frequency and severity of community gun violence.

“Far too many innocent people have lost their lives to these senseless acts of violence, and far too many families have been irreversibly torn apart,” Abney said. “These funds are weapons in their own right to help stamp out the prevalence of these violent crimes.”

Abney said that a $3 million Coordinated Community Violence Intervention grant is being allotted to the Neighborhood Resilience Project to supplement the Allegheny County Violence Prevention Plan.

Abney also outlined that a total of $7.3 million in Violence Intervention and Prevention grants shall be utilized by several county organizations for outreach efforts, educational sessions, trauma aid and additional services.

Beneficiaries of these grants are:

Aaron Donald 99 Solutions Foundation: $80,015 for their Community Defense Project.

ACH Clear Pathways: $450,000 to support their R.E.A.C.H. program.

Allegheny County Chief Executive Officer: $2.43 million to implement the Rapid Employment and Development Initiative.

Amachi Pittsburgh: $440,500 to their Hear4U Mobile Outreach.

Foundation of HOPE: $809,000 for efforts that include their HOPE Aftercare/MAD DADS collaborative.

Pittsburgh City: $2.5 million to expand their Safe Passages program.

The Pittsburgh Contingency Inc.: $187,500 to Voices Against Violence for the development and implementation of a Youth Anti-Violence Mental Health Initiative Course.