City public safety office awards violence-reduction grants

The Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety on Monday announced five new recipients of violence-reduction grants as part of a city program that began in 2018.

The program has dedicated $300,000 annually to organizations that work with individuals most at risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of violence. This year, an extra $140,000 in American Rescue Plan dollars will go to organizations that provide services addressing mental health challenges that have arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to recent increases in violence.

The OPHS said it received more than 31 applications from organizations across the city seeking this year’s grants.

The following organizations were chosen for grants:

Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis Pivot program: A program that helps young people establish positive relationships, allowing them to find their self-worth and purpose and connect them with partner organizations who can help them gain education and employment. The program identifies youth on the far-east side of Indianapolis who are at highest risk for violence and allows them to obtain social services.

Brookside Community Development Corp.: Brookside CDC’s model includes both immediate intervention methods as well as a long-term prevention approach to address the issues of poverty and violence in the Brookside community.

Voices: A program that provides culturally sustaining education, healing-centered engagement, and workforce development.

Reach for Youth: A 47-year-old program that provides access to essential mental health counseling and positive youth development services.

RecycleForce: A not-for-profit that works to reduce crime through employment and job training. With this grant funding, RecycleForce will contract with two behavioral health agencies to provide onsite treatment, ancillary support, and referral to more intensive off-site services as needed.