Hindu temple awarded nearly $25K in state funding for safety improvements

Rep. John T. Galloway    April 14, 2022 | 1:11 PM

HARRISBURG, April 14 – State Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, announced that Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha - Northeast Inc. in Levittown has received $24,978 in 2022 in Nonprofit Security Grants from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

“I am very glad to see that this beautiful temple in Levittown will be able to bolster its security thanks to this state grant,” Galloway said. “Our places of worship are our spiritual homes. From birth to death, they are the place we go to pray, worship and make affirming connections with our faith community. People must be able to go to their houses of worship knowing they are safe and free to worship without fear of violence. This grant will help keep Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha and its worshippers safe.”

The grant money may be used for:

  • safety and security planning.
  • purchase of safety and security equipment.
  • purchase of security-related technology, including, but not limited to, metal detectors, protective lighting, surveillance equipment, special emergency communications equipment, electronic locksets, deadbolts, trauma kits and theft-control devices.
  • safety and security training.
  • threat awareness and response training.
  • upgrades to existing structures that enhance safety and security.
  • vulnerability and threat assessments.
  • specialty-trained canines.
  • any other safety- or security-related project that enhances safety or security of the nonprofit organization.

This grant program was created with Act 83 of 2019.

Act 83 directs PCCD to administer grants to nonprofit organizations who principally serve individuals, groups or institutions that are included within a bias motivation category for single-bias hate crime incidents as identified by the FBI's Hate Crime Statistics Publication. Applicants are eligible for security enhancements designed to protect the safety and security of the users of a facility located in the Commonwealth that is owned or operated by the nonprofit organization.

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