Rozzi announces $2.69 million in violence prevention grants

Rep. Mark Rozzi    January 11, 2023 | 4:28 PM

READING, Jan. 11 – State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, today announced that five community organization within his district have been awarded a total of $2.69 million in grants to go toward violence prevention initiatives.

Funding has been awarded as follows:

  • Berks Community Action Program Inc.: $800,000
  • Center for Children’s Law and Policy: $830,600
  • Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading & Berks County: $607,267
  • Reading Hospital: $193,078
  • The Salvation Army – Reading: $261,676

“Unfortunately, Reading has been no exception to Pennsylvania’s gun violence epidemic, and patterns will repeat unless effective intervention measures are taken,” Rozzi said. “These grants will help ensure that we can support gun violence victims and survivors while simultaneously curbing community violence at its source.”

The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s Violence Intervention and Prevention program. The award may be used for efforts toward reducing community violence, such as street outreach, Safe Corridors/Safe Passages programs – which prevent incidents to/from school and other community centers, trauma-informed support to victims and survivors of gun violence, youth activities, and mentorship programs.

“Olivet Boys & Girls Club is incredibly excited for this grant from PCCD to implement the ‘Safe Haven Project’ to expand and enhance our current abilities to positively impact youth and families of Reading and Berks County. Through this project, Olivet will build the capacity of our team to better support club members and promote a club experience and culture focused on the mental wellness and the safety and security of the youth that call Olivet their ‘Safe Haven,’” Chris Winters, president and CEO of Olivet Boys & Girls Club said. “We extend our thanks to our dedicated community partners and our elected officials for their unwavering support of this project and the Olivet organization as a whole.”

A total of 122 projects throughout the commonwealth received funding from the $88.6 million VIP grant program. This grant program was made possible by the $105 million allocated for violence reduction measures in this year’s state budget.

“I’m happy to help bring more than $2 million home and continue working toward making our community safer. From youth programs to recovery programs, this is a multi-faceted issue that requires work from several different angles, and I’m confident that these grants will make a positive impact,” Rozzi said.

More information on PCCD and the grant program is available online at https://www.pccd.pa.gov/criminaljustice/GunViolence/Pages/default.aspx.