NYS Senator Luis Sepúlveda Funds Organizations Addressing Gun Violence in the Bronx

Bronx, NY—Today, NYS Senator Luis Sepúlveda awarded three community-based gun violence intervention programs with additional Senate grant funding totaling $50,000. The three organizations receiving the grant funding are Save Our Streets (S.O.S.), Stand Up to Violence (SUV), and Guns Down, Life Up (GDLU). 

As part of the Senate Budget for SFY 2021-22, the grants fall under the Community Violence Intervention Act (CVIA), which declared gun violence as a public health crisis and established gun violence intervention grant programs within the New York State Office of Victim Services (OVS). 

“To put an end to gun violence, we must acknowledge it as a public health crisis and fund local violence intervention initiatives that work to address its effects every day,” said NYS Senator Luis Sepúlveda, who represents the 32nd Senate District. “With the number of shootings noticeably increasing, we must respond with a fundamental approach that addresses the root cause of gun violence. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the S.O.S., SUV, and GDLU programs to help combat gun violence in the Bronx.”

Under the Center for Court Innovation, Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) seeks to end gun violence at the neighborhood level through “violence interrupters” who mediate conflicts before they escalate and rapidly respond to individual shootings. Stand Up to Violence (SUV) is Jacobi Medical Center’s Violence Interruption Program funded by the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services. SUV reaches out to those at risk to stop gun violence in the Bronx community. Guns Down, Life Up (GDLU) is an initiative using a community-centered public health approach that engages partners across all boroughs to prevent and interrupt violence and empower youth.