Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine launched his Prevention Comes First initiative Friday to help support state and local organizations working to prevent gang violence.
Kaine’s program coordinates state agencies and local organizations. It also offers grants of up to $10,000 for community groups that create alternatives to gangs for at-risk youth.
“Community-based prevention initiatives can help support healthy families and communities, help our children grow toward bright futures and cultivate more informed and engaged citizens to combat problems like gang violence,” Kaine said in a statement.
There are at least 300 gangs in Virginia with some 5,000 total members, according to John Marshall, secretary of public safety.
The new Anti-Gang Workgroup “will foster unprecedented collaboration and enhance technological capabilities” to reduce gangs in communities, Marshall said.
Juan Pacheco, of Barrios Unidos, a Fairfax-based program that works to prevent gang participation in area youth, said the grants are welcome because his program is running out of money.
“You can’t wait for an agency to come save the day. It needs to comefrom the community within. That is pretty important,” Pacheco said.
“We are on the enforcement side of it. Clearly, like the drug issue, it is a statewide issue,” said Virginia police Sgt. Keith Hairston with the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force.
“The more agencies we can get on board to help us with prevention and intervention, it can only enhance what we do.”
Prevention Comes First Initiative
» Grant applications available in August
» Applications found at www.goasp.virginia.gov.
» For information, go to www.governor.virginia.gov.
