Last year, our advocacy¹ secured a historic win – $105 million in grant funding for evidence-based community violence intervention programs. But we cannot address the public safety crisis without sustained investment in these community-led efforts to interrupt cycles of violence, support those in crisis, and provide trauma-informed care. Similar investments have been shown to reduce gun violence up to 30 percent.²

CeaseFirePA works with dozens of community-based partners across Pennsylvania that do life-saving work but just need stable funding to increase their impact. One example is Promise Neighborhoods of Lehigh Valley. Their Zero Youth Violence Initiatives uses the methods and strategies associated with disease control – detecting and interrupting conflicts, identifying and treating the highest risk individuals, and changing social norms.³

Ask Governor Shapiro to prioritize funding for this life-saving work in his first budget address.

In his inauguration speech, Governor Shapiro said he heard Pennsylvanians when we said we want safe communities and good schools. Let’s make sure he hears us again now when we demand funding to make those safe communities a reality.

Sincerely,

Adam Garber

Executive Director

CeaseFirePA

^{1 https://www.ceasefirepa.org/our-work/invest-in-safer-communities/}

^{2 https://www.ceasefirepa.org/featured/statement-pa-budget-expands-historic-investment-in-gun-violence-prevention/}

³https://promiseneighborhoodslv.org/zero-youth-violence