‘These programs are crucial to breaking the cycle’: Council OKs $739K in grants to reduce crime
With many members of the 26 nonprofit organizations looking on, Columbus Council approved a total of $739,000 in Crime Prevention Grants on Tuesday.
The 10-member council voted 9-0 to approve the request from director of Crime Prevention Seth Brown during the last vote for Councilor Mike Baker to fund crime-fighting organizations and outgoing Mayor Teresa Tomlinson. Councilor Glenn Davis was absent for the 5:30 p.m. meeting at the City Services Center.
Brown, who has been director since the office was created by Mayor Jim Wetherington in November 2009, said 32 applications were considered during the selection process. After more than three months of consideration, the final 26 agencies were approved by the seven-member Crime Prevention Board led by attorney LaRae D. Moore. The grants range from a low of $10,000 to a high of $57,000.
Baker admitted to Brown that the office has made a difference in the community despite his early concerns. He voted against the city getting another department head because he didn’t know whether they could afford it.
He noted the federal government isn’t going to help the city and state with efforts to reduce crime. It’s important to go into places and start programs to help children.
“These programs are crucial to breaking the cycle, keeping the kids off the streets,” he said.
Tomlinson said the city has seen a decrease in property crimes that are normally committed by 13-16 year old teens. The city used to have 15,500 crimes a year with half of those property crimes. Now those crimes are down less than half of that.
“We are making less criminals,” she said. “You are going to start seeing less and less crimes.”
Councilor Jerry “Pops” Barnes said members of council are good stewards of money to reduce crime. Councilors visit with the agencies and organizations along with members of the Crime Prevention Board.
“I like this program,” he said. “There are a lot of organizations in this community that have good hearts and good intentions, but as everyone knows, you have to have those dead presidents in order to do anything,” he said of the funding.
After council approved the funding, Brown said a significant decrease in expulsions and suspensions were seen last year. Fox Elementary and other schools have significant behavior problems with children. The children aren’t violent but have destructive behavior with suspensions and out of school suspensions. “These programs that we put in place reduce those significantly,” he said.
Next year, Brown will be working under Mayor-elect Berry “Skip” Henderson, a former veteran councilor. “He may have some specific things he wants us to do,” he said. “That’s why I work under the mayor’s office. If there is something he wants me to do differently, we can do those.”
Approved Grants - Seth Brown, director of Crime Prevention
▪ Big Brothers, Big Sisters -$20,000
▪ Boys and Girls Club of Columbus - $45,000
▪ BRIDGE of Columbus - $18,000
▪ Building Toward Wellness Community Coalition - $25,000
▪ Changing Faces Within - $10,000
▪ Chattahoochee Valley Jail Ministry Inc. - $25,000
▪ Columbus Community Center - $36,000
▪ Columbus Police Department - $35,000 for DARE to be GREAT
▪ Columbus Symphony Orchestra -$20,000 for Making Music Matter Program
▪ Family Center of Columbus - $57,000 for the F.A.S.T. Program
▪ Girls Inc. - $37,000 for the College and Career Prep Courses
▪ Hope Harbour - $29,000.
▪ Lets Grow STEAM - $35,000.
▪ Liberty Theatre - $20,000 for the Arts Program.
▪ Literacy Alliance - $30,000.
▪ Muscogee County Marshal’s Office -$10,000 for the Jr. Marshal’s Program.
▪ Neighborhoods Focused on African American Youth Inc. - $50,000.
▪ Office of Dispute Resolution -$21,000 for Legitimation Station.
▪ Open Door Community House - $20,000.
▪ Overflow Outreach - $25,000.
▪ Pastoral Institute - $25,000 for Right from the Start.
▪ Springer Opera House - $41,000 for the PAIR Program.
▪ Teen Advisors Inc. - $25,000.
▪ W.O.R.K.S. - $35,000.
▪ YMCA of Columbus, Georgia - $20,000.
▪ Young Life - $25,000.
This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 12:00 AM.