Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins Jersey City's Division of Community Development (DCD) to announce the launch of a new grant-funded Violence Prevention Program designed to acknowledge, target, and respond to the uptick in violence resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The RFP was designed in conjunction with Jersey City Together.
Jersey City has dedicated $500,000 in the first tranche towards the Violence Prevent Program Request for Proposal (RFP).
Eligible organizations can apply for funding to launch this program focusing on helping the City's youth, adults, and seniors within low- and moderate-income areas as defined by HUD. The RFP is open through February 18.
"We are committed to driving down crime and violence in our area, and this community-based Violence Prevention Program will leverage our local resources to address the underlying conditions that result in long-term violence," Mayor Fulop said.
"With this program, we want to ensure safer, healthier, and equitable communities by providing at-risk residents with the tools to heal from traumatic experiences, while also providing the support and skills to achieve their short- and long-term life goals."
The comprehensive Violence Prevention Program will address structural inequities and invest necessary resources.
The new initiative will complement programs implemented in the last year, such as Mental Health First Aid efforts, as part of a comprehensive approach to address domestic violence issues, homeless outreach, violence prevention, and mental health support - all of which have seen stark increases since the onset of COVID-19.
"Jersey City Together fully supports allocating and investing in proven violence prevention strategies for our City," Bill Lillis, a member of Jersey City Together's strategy team, said.
"Community-based violence reduction models like these use outreach, connecting individuals to social services and other supports to respond to the problems we face, as a proactive approach to prevent violence from occurring."
The program is shaped by community-based prevention frameworks utilizing intervention methods that are proven effective, including:
- Community mobilization efforts
- Youth outreach
- Public education
- Leadership involvement
- Mentorships
- Trained credible messengers
- Social services navigation/support
- Life management action plans
"The program will serve at-risk individuals who experience violence within their community while centering the needs of constituents," Community Development Division Director Deja Anderson said.
"This directly aligns with our mission 'to strengthen Jersey City through fostering strong partnerships and responsibly investing our funding resources in the community.'"
The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, February 18, at 11:59 p.m. Applicants should be proficient in languages found within Jersey City.
The Request for Proposal application can be accessed through the Jersey City website here.