Equity Not Equality Goal Of New Council Crime Prevention Grants

A crime prevention program in Indianapolis has announced its initial round of grants -- the .
first attempt to equitably allocate funding and resources.

The Indianapolis City-County Council changed the way the $1.3 million in grants is distributed. The goal: to better reach the areas hit hardest by crime.

In the past, teach of the 25 districts got the same amount of funding to address violent crime. It was then allocated to community organizations.

District One Councilman Leroy Robinson, who authored the proposal that passed last year, says the aim is to address root causes of violence.

“We think that over the next few years we could make some inroads if we just target resources to these areas where there are higher incidents of crime,” Robinson said.

The council partnered with the SAVI research center at IUPUI to identify districts with greater needs based on violent crime and social metrics. 

Many projects are youth-focused but other groups will receive money for housing or workforce development.

Robinson said he knows it’s going to take more deliberate action to end disparities that play into surging violence. “It’s going to take years of investment and reinvestment in these communities that have been neglected for years.”

The Central Indiana Community Foundation partners with the city to administer the program. In a written statement, Alicia Collins, director of community leadership at CICF, said, “This program with the Council and the Office of Public Health and Safety is an invitation to community-based partners to use their expertise and deep knowledge of their neighborhood to address root causes of crime specific to that area.”