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Police and YWCA to share STRIVE grant funds for domestic-violence response; council hears details
Summary
City officials described a $1.817 million state STRIVE grant for regional intimate-partner-violence response; Schenectady Police would receive roughly $305,000 to fund an investigator and partial support for a crime analyst, with the YWCA designated as a primary service provider.
Schenectady Police Department leaders briefed the council on the state STRIVE grant program and the department’s planned use of funds during the April 7 public safety committee session. The state launched the STRIVE program to bolster evidence-based, survivor-centered responses to intimate-partner violence. The county/regional allocation totals $1,817,000 from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, with the YWCA identified as the lead community partner.
Schenectady’s police chief told the council the department’s share would be approximately $305,000 and that award funds would cover one fully funded position (salary and benefits) and half of a crime analyst’s salary (the analyst would remain embedded at the regional crime analysis center). The grant term is retroactive to April 1 and runs through March 31, 2026. The chief said many victim-services positions would be funded through the YWCA allocation and that probation and other partners are part of the regional response.
Council members asked whether the city’s domestic-incident counts were driving eligibility and how the grant would affect ongoing budgets. The chief said Schenectady’s assault data is one of the higher counts in the state per capita, largely driven by domestic incidents, and that the department expects the city share to add $116,408 to revenue for the calendar year (reimbursement for salary costs). Council members raised questions about how any funded employee would be absorbed if the grant were not renewed; the chief said the grant sponsor expected continued funding but acknowledged the city would need to consider sustainability in future budget cycles.
Ending: Committee members expressed broad support for the victim-centered focus and staffing increases, and staff said they would return with any required budget-amendment language and implementation details for council ratification.
