The Baltimore City Health Department?s Office of Youth Violence Prevention has received a $362,000 grant from the Department of Justice to fund Operation Safe Streets, a community-based program designed to prevent violence.
“Reducing youth violence is one of my key initiatives. It destroys families, undermines communities and affects all of us,” Mayor Sheila Dixon said in a statement.
The program, which is based on a model developed by the University of Illinois, grants money to community groups to provide “alternatives to violence.”
“In Baltimore City, homicide is the leading cause of death in adolescents and young adults,” City Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein said in a statement. “Operation Safe Streets is part of a public health approach to this serious problem.”
Community organizations in areas with high rates of violent crime may apply by contacting program director Dr. LaShawn Worsley at 443-984-3566 or [email protected]. A Bidder?s Conference for applicants will take place at the city health department in the Maxie Collier Room on Feb. 16 at 9 a.m.
