Hampton will receive a $4.6 million federal Byrne Discretionary Grant to be used in the city’s violence-prevention efforts.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, who secured the funds, presented Mayor Donnie Tuck and the city with a check at a ceremony Monday evening at the Mary W. Jackson Neighborhood Center.
The grant will fund three years, as the program ramps up and grows to serve more people each year. Almost $2 million will go toward staffing, with $700,000 for police and $360,000 for mental health services.
“This is an investment that will pay dividends,” Scott said. “Hampton has a plan for reducing shootings, focusing on the hot spots where the violence is the most acute and identifying the families where someone has a high likelihood of shooting or being shot.”
“This grant will further our efforts and allow us to go out into communities — five areas that have disproportionate rates of gun violence — and create neighborhood centers,” said Tuck.
The satellite neighborhood offices will:
- Create programs to engage young people, teaching skills like conflict resolution and coping skills;
- Arrange counseling services to address unresolved trauma and work on replacements for aggression;
- Allow police officers to create more community partnerships and spend more time in the five areas; and
- Offer job training and employment
Saeveyon Hinson, an ambassador for the Hopeful Hampton youth violence prevention program, said programs “have helped me learn to regulate my emotions and that violence isn’t the first thing you should resort to.”
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Crystal Graham
