LYNN — The city of Lynn has been awarded $295,050 in state funding to support efforts aimed at combating youth violence.
North Shore Community College, which has a campus in Lynn, has been awarded $34,543 in funding, which is administered through the state’s Shannon Community Safety Initiative (Shannon CSI) grant program, to help address youth violence in the city.
The Shannon CSI grant program supports regional and multi-disciplinary approaches to combating gang violence through coordinated prevention and intervention, law enforcement, prosecution, and reintegration programs, according to information provided by state Sen. Brendan Crighton’s (D-Lynn) office.
“The Lynn Police Department greatly appreciates the Shannon funding,” said Interim Lynn Police Chief Leonard Desmarais. “It enables us to continue to work with our long-standing partners in the most important effort we can undertake: engagement with the community.”
The grant program aims to address gang and youth violence in communities like Lynn by funding enforcement and meaningful alternatives to at-risk and gang-affiliated youth. Part of that strategy involves bringing together academic and research institutions with targeted municipalities, such as the collaboration between the city of Lynn and NSCC, the city’s local research partner.
In Lynn, Shannon CSI funding typically goes toward initiatives such as the city’s Teen Drop-In Center, a community policing program that the Lynn Police Department says has led to a reduction in gang violence in the city; case management for at-risk youth at Catholic Charities and Family & Children’s Services of Lynn; and the outreach done by Antonio Gutierrez, who works with at-risk youth through Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy.
“The Shannon Grant has been a proven tool for the Lynn Police Department and community organizations to assist their tireless efforts to provide top-notch programming for at-risk youth,” said Crighton. “We will continue to prioritize this funding that has changed lives, created opportunities and improved public safety.”
“The Shannon Grant provides critical funding to help combat gang and youth violence amongst some of our most vulnerable populations,” said state Rep. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn). “This much-needed support will help our local nonprofits and police, as they work to keep our communities safe and to provide opportunities for our youth.”
State Rep. Peter Capano (D-Lynn) noted that “the Shannon Grant program has had a huge impact in addressing gang and youth violence in Lynn, adding that he was “thrilled to see” Violence Against Women Act, Services Training Officers Prosecutors (VAWA STOP) grants were also being prioritized for funding in Lynn.
Fifteen Shannon Community Safety Initiative sites and 13 local action research partners received grant awards ranging from $94,578 to $1.8 million, totaling $9.96 million that was distributed through the state’s anti-violence program this week, according to Crighton’s office.
In addition to Shannon CSI funding, the Baker-Polito administration also announced this week that 37 agencies and organizations had received VAWA STOP grants ranging from $25,970 to $229,267, totaling $2.9 million, according to Crighton’s office.
Northeast Legal Aid, which has an office in Lynn, has been awarded $44,300 through the program, borne out of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. That legislation marked a turning point in the federal recognition of the extent and seriousness of violence against women and solidified a commitment by the federal government to address the program by providing federal resources to help communities address, prevent and respond to that violence, Crighton’s office said.
“With the benefit of Shannon Grant funding and more support for organizations like Northeast Legal Aid, Lynn will be well-equipped to continue to reduce violence in the city,” said state Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead). “Whether gang violence or domestic violence, the trauma damages whole communities, and that’s why it’s so important that the government step up with these grant awards.
“I am proud to join my colleagues in celebrating these investments, and look forward to Lynn’s continued work to reduce violence.”
Mayor Thomas M. McGee thanked the Lynn delegation for securing nearly $300,000 in Shannon Grant funding for the city in his statement.
“The Lynn Police Department and their community partners have produced positive outcomes through this grant program for a number of years, and I look forward to their continued work to protect at-risk youth and women within our community,” said McGee.
State Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus) thanked the Baker-Polito administration and federal government for making the Shannon Grant possible, noting that this year’s funding “could not have come at a better time.
“With revenue down, this grant will help law enforcers protect the most vulnerable in our community against violent crimes,” Wong said.
