KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A $2 million federal grant is helping the city of Knoxville expand and build critical resources to reduce violence in the community.
The grant is a part of $4,684,929 announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee in Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) funding. The OJP is a federal agency that offers leadership, grants, training, technical assistance, and other resources to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and strengthen the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
“OJP’s six program offices support state, local, and tribal community safety efforts; crime victim assistance and compensation programs; juvenile justice and child protection activities; sex offender management; a wide range of training and technical assistance opportunities; ground-breaking criminal justice research; and statistical collections covering a host of justice system topics,” reads a release from United States Attorney’s Office.
The city of Knoxville shared that the funding will support their Violence Reduction Plan. This plan was finalized in March 2023. The city’s Violence Reduction Leadership team meets monthly to discuss ways to implement the plan. The team has also partnered with community-based groups like Connect Ministries and Knoxville Leadership Foundations to help people overcome barriers.
In addition to the $2 million to Knoxville, several other agencies received funding.
- City of Chattanooga – $500.000
- City of Sevierville – $299,600
- Hamilton County Board of Education – $994,679
- Knoxville Leadership Foundation – $750,000
- Metro Moore County Emergency Management Agency – $140,650
