Governor Kathy Hochul has announced $20 million in state funding for community-based organizations that serve young people across 10 New York cities, with each community set to receive $2 million to fund mentoring, mental health services, job training, and other youth programs aimed at reaching kids before they encounter the justice system.
The money flows through Project RISE, a state initiative administered by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services that serves youth in Albany, Buffalo, Hempstead, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, Rochester, Syracuse, Troy, Utica, and Yonkers, according to LongIsland.com. Each community has its own steering committee that decides where the $2 million investment will best support youth, families, and neighborhoods, with up to four lead organizations in each city receiving the funding directly. Those lead groups then distribute portions of the money to smaller organizations working on the ground, including Brother 2 Brother, Yonkers PAL, Yonkers Arts, One PASO, Westhab Inc., the Yonkers YMCA, and 914United.
Hochul said the program puts resources directly into communities and reaches young New Yorkers before they encounter the justice system, according to the same report. DCJS Commissioner Rossana Rosado said Project RISE connects youth and families with mentors, mental health services, education, employment, and other opportunities. The program is now in its second round of funding for Hempstead, Troy, and Utica, and its fourth round for Albany, Buffalo, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers.
How the Program Chose Its Cities
Project RISE stands for Respond, Invest, Sustain, Empower, and it was launched by New York State in 2022 to build partnerships between established lead organizations and local grassroots groups to address the root causes of gun violence, according to the John Jay College Research and Evaluation Center. DCJS identified the initial 10 target communities using a data-driven model that analyzed American Community Survey demographic and poverty statistics alongside police violent crime and shooting data, according to the New York State Executive Chamber. The goal, per that same announcement, was ensuring funding reached areas with high poverty rates and historical exposure to violence…