Are we starting a neighborhood watch group or not?

Grants Available for Anti-Crime and Public Safety

Volunteer-led community groups trying to improve the safety of their neighborhoods can get some financial help from Citizens Committee for New York City thanks to the generous support of the John A. Reisenbach Foundation.

In a press conference on December 6th, 2011, Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes joined Peter H. Kostmayer, CEO of Citizens Committee, and representatives of the John A Reisenbach Foundation to encourage volunteer groups to come together and combat crime in their neighborhoods by applying for a grant.

Citizens Committee will award $40,000 in grants of $500-$3,000 to volunteer-led groups who apply by January 31, 2012, including a new initiative directed at the ten most violent/crime-ridden neighborhoods in New York City. The John A. Reisenbach Focus Ten program is a joint effort between the Citizens Committee for New York City and the John A. Reisenbach Foundation to help fund community organizations working to reduce crime in these neighborhoods. They include the 75th, 73rd, 67th, 79th, 81st, and 77th precincts in Brooklyn, the 47th, 44th, 40th, and 42nd precincts in the Bronx, and the 105th precinct in Queens. These neighborhoods experienced 203 murders, 3,591 burglaries, and 4,885 felonious assaults last year alone.

Also of special interest are groups working to implement the DA's "Safe Stop” Program, an initiative that designates local merchants as safe spots for youth, seniors and all others to go if they need help in case of an emergency. With the support of the DA's office, groups can organize and mobilize their community to take part in the "Safe Stop” program.

"Protecting our neighborhoods isn't just the job of the police – residents can play a large role in keeping our streets safe,” said District Attorney Hynes. "There are a number of ways that communities can take their safety into their own hands: start a neighborhood watch; work with at-risk youth; hold a public safety fair; or replace local crime magnets with safe, open spaces are just a few examples. Thank you to the Reisenbach Foundation and Citizens Committee for New York City for recognizing the public safety value of these community initiatives.”

"DA Hynes has always been a strong advocate of initiatives that mobilize communities to combat crime and promote public safety,” said Peter H. Kostmayer, CEO of Citizens Committee for New York City. "Citizens Committee, with the long-time support of the Reisenbach Foundation, has been supporting community efforts to fight crime and improve neighborhood safety for more than 35 years. One of the first grants we ever gave was in 1977 to a neighborhood watch group that purchased whistles to scare away criminals around Sara D. Roosevelt Park in the Lower East Side. We strongly encourage community groups to continue that tradition and apply for a grant by January 31, 2012.”

"The John A. Reisenbach Foundation has invested more than $6 million in volunteer-led initiatives that combat crime and promote public safety for 20 years,” said Larry Schatz of the Reisenbach Foundation. "We are excited to be partnering with Citizens Committee and District Attorney Hynes to fight back against crime in some of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City. Through the 'Focus Ten' initiative, we hope that volunteer-led groups will start community watches, increase public safety awareness, and implement programs such as 'Safe Stop' to make our city a safer place to live.”

Groups may download an application or complete one online at www.citizensnyc.org/grants by January 31, 2012. The application is available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

Citizens Committee is holding a limited number of application workshops throughout the five boroughs to answer any questions about the application process. For more information about the grants and the workshops, interested parties should contact Wilfredo Florentino at 212-822-9568 / [email protected].