LYNN – The City has been awarded $446,354 through the Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative (CSI) to help combat gang activity.
CSI is a state grant program that awards funds to help build collaborative programs designed to improve safety and reduce gang activity.
“We are pleased to receive this funding from the state as we continue to implement programs and interventions to stop and prevent gang activity,” Mayor Jared C. Nicholson said. “We are fortunate to do this work in collaboration with community partners who are equally committed to addressing this problem.”
The City’s efforts to improve safety and reduce gang activity will involve collaboration with several local nonprofits, including LifeScene, Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND), Catholic Charities, and Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy, as well as the Lynn Police Department and Department of Public Works, which manages the Teen Drop-In Center.
Intervention efforts will include outreach and case management support, educational and personal development, workforce programming, and diverse socialization opportunities for at-risk youth.
A total of $69,421 of the grant will also go towards the Housing Site Initiative, which aims to support violence prevention in public housing. The funds will be used at LHAND’s Curwin Circle development, which provides tutoring, college prep, drop-in socialization, family engagement activities, and more.
“The Shannon Grant program has long been a priority of the Lynn delegation, and we are thrilled that the City of Lynn has been awarded this impactful state funding once again,” State Sen. Brendan Crighton said. “This program has a proven record of violence prevention, and we are thankful that the city and our community partners continue to remain dedicated to this critical work.”
Across the state, approximately $11.18 million of CSI funding was given to 15 different cities.
