NoVA KC gets $1 million to reduce violent crime

A $1 million crime-fight grant will allow KC NoVA to focus on an area bounded roughly by25th Street on the north, 39th on the south and between Paseo and
Benton boulevards. The area has one of the higher crime rates in the
city.

Kansas City’s new crime fighting alliance now has a million dollars to tackle problems in the Prospect Corridor.

The governing board of Kansas City No Violence Alliance, known as KC NoVA, announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded it a three-year,$1 million grant.

“This is wonderful news for the KC NoVA effort,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Here’s more from the official announcement:

Kansas City Mayor Sly James called the grant “a huge win for KC NoVA,and said it will go far in helping make our neighborhoods more safe.

“Dedicating these resources to the Prospect Corridor will help return that area to the family-centered, vibrant place I remember from my childhood,” James added. “I’ve lived in Kansas City for my entire life and I know what great people, stories, and neighborhoods lie in the Prospect Corridor. This grant will help us roll up our sleeves and do more of the hard work required to make this area of our City shine.”

The grant provides $1 million over three years for Kansas City; the bulk of the funding is split between the second and third years.

This new initiative will use KC NoVA’s focused-deterrence effort to decrease crime in that area by focusing on the small group of active, chronic offenders who cause a disproportionate amount of the violence there. In turn, this should catalyze economic development and improve for residents their quality of life.

Office of Justice Program’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) announced this month the awarding of $12 million in Byrne CriminalJustice Innovation grants to 14 locations, including Kansas City.  No city received more than $1 million for the three-year grant period.

Several KC NoVA partners will receive funding besides the Kansas City (MO) police department, including the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission (fiscal agent for the initiative); the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology; the city of Kansas City’s Neighborhood Prosecution Program; and Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC).

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