NEW YORK, USA — The US Department of the Treasury announced that it has awarded the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (NYC-MOCJ) over $20.5 million in federal commitments to support its efforts to reduce gun violence among youth. The awards are part of Treasury’s Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) program and include a project grant of $17,595,000 with an additional $2,639,250 grant to pay for the cost of an independent evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
“Gun violence is a horrific problem in this country, and it’s never more tragic than when young people are involved,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen, said. “Obviously, addressing this issue will require many different solutions, but one that Treasury is proud to support involves community efforts to intervene with at-risk youth. The Biden-Harris administration is committed to working with communities to ensure that they – and the young people who live there – are safe.”
“New York City has demonstrated time and again that the most effective solutions to gun violence come from the grassroots,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Investments by this administration in community-based violence prevention programs have increased public safety, stemmed violence, and saved lives. I’m grateful to the Treasury Department and the Biden-Harris administration for their recognition—this grant will allow us to further invest in these proven programs and build a safer city for all.”
“The City of New York is focused on solving public safety challenges through innovative, evidence-driven solutions that bring together community and police. Under the de Blasio administration, New York has invested deeply in cost-effective community-based solutions to break the cycles of violence now and in the future,” said MOCJ director Marcos Gonzalez Soler. “We have seen the successful fruits of these efforts grow, and we’re very thankful for the support being shown by our Federal partners at Treasury and throughout the Biden-Harris administration for these investments to continue.”
New York City’s intervention will target individuals who are between the ages of 16 and 24 years old at the time of the intervention start date and have a high risk for involvement in violence, particularly gun violence. The intervention will use the “Cure Violence” model, a neighborhood-based public health approach to gun violence reduction that seeks to change individual and community attitudes and norms about gun violence. The model seeks to identify individuals most at risk of spreading gun violence, and it intervenes to change their behavior and attitudes. The program relies on community-based “outreach workers” and “violence interrupters” who have personal relationships, social networks, and knowledge of the neighborhoods to dissuade specific individuals and local residents from engaging in violence.
The SIPPRA program makes funding available to state and local governments for pay-for-results social impact partnership projects. SIPPRA projects may seek to improve a variety of social problems, including increasing employment, wages, and financial stability for low-income families; improving family health and housing; and reducing recidivism.
SIPPRA funding is awarded through a competitive process. The Treasury Department selected New York City’s project based on the strength of its application, input from the Commission on Social Impact Partnerships, and in consultation with the Federal Interagency Council on Social Impact Partnerships and the US Department of Justice.
