Philadelphia releases updated 'Roadmap to Safer Communities' with initiatives to combat gun violence
Philadelphia releases updated ‘Roadmap to Safer Communities’ with initiatives to combat gun violence
The Roadmap to Safer Communities has four key goals, which include connected and thriving young people, a strong community engagement, coordinated city services, and safe and healthy neighborhoods.
PHILADLEPHIA - The City of Philadelphia released its 2021 update to the "Philadelphia Roadmap to Safer Communities," which is a multi-year violence reduction strategy designed to create a safer, healthier and more just city.
The Roadmap to Safer Communities has four key goals, which include connected and thriving young people, a strong community engagement, coordinated city services, and safe and healthy neighborhoods
In 2020, gun-related homicides was the leading cause of death of young Black and Latino men and represented 90 percent of all the homicides in the city.
The city's Roadmap to Safer Communities seeks to reduce shootings by 30 percent citywide by the end of 2023.
In an effort to ahieve this goal, the Roadmap to Safer Communities will provide better opportunities and social services for individuals and quality of life services for communities highly at-risk.
It will also provide swift and predictable consequences for those engaged in violence who do not want help.
And lastly, the Roadmap to Safer Communities will provide for stronger community engagement with tools to increase long-term resiliency.
Altogether, the city will invest $35.5 million to make sure the Roadmap to Safer Communities is effective. In the course of its five-year plan, this is an additional investment of $70 million.
Some areas of investiment include a $1.3 million increase to expand violence interruption programs like the Community Crisis Intervention Program and Group Violence Intervention strategy. Approximately $2 million will go to transitional jobs programs to provide alternatives to violence.
Another $500,000 will go towards the expansion of Targeted Community Investment Grants for violence prevention programs run by community partners. And finally, $1.35 million will go towards community and environmental improvements including graffiti cleanup, vacant lot remediation, clean & seal efforts, and improved lighting and visibility in key neighborhoods.
"As the pandemic raged last year, so did gun violence, here at home and in other cities across our country," said Mayor Jim Kenney. "As we deepen and scale the evidence-based programs for the highest at risk, we are continuing our largest investments in what we know will ultimately address the structural, root cause of violence—lack of education and opportunity."
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