PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council and the mayor have formed a group to oversee the distribution of $20 million to community groups that are working to prevent gun violence.
City Council put the money in the budget in the belief that grassroots groups are essential to curbing violence in their communities, but many are operating on shoestring budgets.
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So, the council and the Kenney administration created the Violence Prevention and Opportunity Monitoring Group to help them apply for and use grants, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.
Chantay Love runs one such group, EMIR, which stands for Every Murder Is Real. With nine therapists and eight victim services coordinators, it provides support for families of murder victims.
She said funding from the city will be a game-changer.
“We deserve to be partners in a collective and collaborative way that makes sense, that empowers people, that brings us together,” she said.
The city plans to invite community organizations to apply for funding early next month.