Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Governor Kathy Hochul’s Continued Investment in Community Intervention Programs to Fight Gun Violence 

Governor Hochul Continues Historic Investment of $347 Million Funding For Gun Violence Prevention Programs This Year 

ALBANY, NY – The New York chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements applauding Governor Kathy Hochul for her continued commitment to investing in organizations that address the root causes of gun violence in communities across New York with $347 million in programs to prevent and reduce gun violence, including $50 million for communities most impacted by gun violence. 

“This investment will be crucial to organizations like ours that are doing important work within our communities to keep us safe and directly address some of the root causes of gun violence,” said Wanda Ridgeway, executive director of Rise Up Rochester, a grantee of the Everytown Community Safety Fund. “We’re grateful to have a partner in Governor Hochul who continues to recognize and support the work of community-based violence intervention organizations across New York. Gun violence prevention requires all of us to work together, and this funding will make that possible.” 

“After signing legislation that will make victim compensation funds more accessible for victims of gun violence and their families at the end of last session, yesterday’s budget announcement demonstrates Governor Hochul’s continuing commitment to supporting survivors,” said Deanna Drury, a survivor fellow and chapter lead with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This investment in support for victims of gun violence and domestic violence will help ensure that in times of crisis, members of our communities have the resources they need.” 

Governor Hochul’s budget includes allocations for the following funds for public safety: 

• $20 million for partnerships and programs operated by and between government and community-based organizations.
• $40.8 million to reduce assaults with a focus on domestic violence. 
• $5 million in grants for victims of domestic violence to be used to cover expenses in emergency situations. 
• $72 million funding for risk assessments, reporting, and increased focus on high-risk domestic violence offenders in Gun Involved Violence Elimination jurisdictions. 
• $120 million in State funding for crime victim service providers.
• $6.1 million in investments to support reentry into the workforce, reduce recidivism and improve community safety, and
• $4.7 million to provide year-round employment opportunities for at-risk youth through the Summer Youth Employment Program and the Youth Opportunities Program. 

While there is no one solution to end gun violence, community violence intervention (CVI) programs like Rise Up Rochester play a key role in making cities safer. These programs are on the frontlines in the cities with the highest rates of gun violence and work within communities experiencing the disproportionate impact of gun violence. While historic investments have been made at all levels of government, CVI organizations still struggle to access promised funding and when they do, funding is restricted to programmatic expenses, preventing them from increasing staff, building their capacity or scaling to more people and places in need. 

Rise Up Rochester is also a grantee of the Everytown Community Safety Fund (CSF), which has granted $11.3 million in support of 119 community-based violence intervention organizations implementing promising strategies, like street outreach, hospital-based violence interventions and youth development and counseling, in more than 68 American cities since 2019. 

In an average year, 939 people die by guns in New York, and another 1,991 are wounded. Gundeaths and injuries cost New York $11.4 billion each year, of which $301.2 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in New York can be found here.