Albany County Government: County Executive McCoy Announces New State Funding & Local Programming To Stop Gun Violence

Press release from the Albany County Government:

09/17/2021 1:30 pm

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced today that the Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families Youth Bureau will be receiving an additional $115,000 from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, building on the $50,000 that had already been allotted as part of the Gun Violence Prevention Community Funds Program. Governor Kathy Hochul has also extended the deadline of December 31, 2021 for claiming these funds to March 30, 2022. 

“There’s no question that gun violence in Albany and in major cities across the State and the nation is a serious issue. No resident should have to be afraid to walk out their front door, to go to work or to grab a bite to eat, but it’s a sad reality for some. That’s why I want to thank Governor Hochul for increasing our funding to a total $165,000 to help our efforts to end these disturbing shootings by providing our youth with healthy opportunities,” said County Executive McCoy. 

“We can make our neighborhoods safer by addressing some of the immediate public safety issues when it comes to violent offenders, while also providing resources for critical youth programming and development that prevent some of the root causes of poverty and crime. We have so many incredible organizations that Albany County has been proud to partner with in the past, and I know they will be key for us to move our community forward,” he continued. 

The local organizations that will receive funding for the youth opportunity programming include the Arbor Hill Development Corporation, 518 SNUG, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area, Eden’s Rose Urban Mountain Biking Initiative, Jamel Hood’s House of Hoops, Make A Play, and Albany Strength MMA Training Center.

Separately, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services also allotted $137,000 for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. Part of this reimburses Albany County’s Department of Probation for Violence Offender Identification (VOID) – a probation officer solely dedicated to supervising the firearm-related probation cases sent to the Probation Department. This individual works closely with the Albany Police Department and the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, conducting field work, using technology and tracking social media of probationers to prevent future gun violence.

Funding for the Gun Violence Prevention Community Funds Program targeted specific communities across New York State that have experienced dramatic increases in gun violence over the last two years. Those communities include municipalities within Albany, Erie, Onondaga, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, as well as New York City.

This press release was produced by the Albany County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.