NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans today announced new funding for critical efforts to support youth and enhance public safety, funded in part by appropriations from the Louisiana State Legislature.
“Working collaboratively with the Orleans Delegation to the State Legislature, especially Senator Jimmy Harris, was vital to securing these important resources,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Through Senator Harris’s leadership, along with the rest of the Orleans Delegation, as well as my administration’s advocacy on behalf of the City of New Orleans, we were able to provide constituents citywide with critical support for the priorities that matter most — the safety of our communities and the success of our youth. We can both hold people accountable and lead a trauma-centered approach to solving critical public safety issues in the hopes of preventing crimes before they even occur.”
The funding will flow through existing City departments, including $100,000 to the Office of Criminal Justice Coordination (OCJC), $100,000 to the Office of Youth and Families to support their diversion programs, $50,000 to the Office of Economic Development, as well as $50,000 to external partners. The total $300,000 allocation is aimed to provide mental health services, improve economic development opportunities and community-based resources to increase public safety.
“To increase public safety, we must have a balanced approach,” said OCJC Commissioner Tenisha Stevens. “This means meaningfully addressing criminalized behavior, while improving conditions of overall community health to prevent violence and harm before it ever occurs. The $100,000 appropriation by Senator Harris will allow us to increase support for community-based resources to improve public safety — an essential component of crime reduction. I also commend Senator Harris’s legislation to address interstate shootings, a pressing public safety issue in our community. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Harris and all our delegation to improve community safety and the administration of justice.”
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