Boston committee hears testimony on $1.735 million Shannon grant for youth violence prevention

For the record, Henry Santana, at-large city councilor and chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice, opened a June 5 hearing on docket 0394 on an order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend $1,735,107.39 in the form of the FY25 Senator Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative grant awarded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to be administered by the Boston Police Department.

The hearing brought direct testimony from 27 organizations that would receive Shannon funding and public commenters including students and neighborhood residents. Chair Santana said the grant supports “regional and multidisciplinary approaches to combat gang violence” and described the Shannon program as part of the city’s prevention and intervention strategy. Santana said the city has used a competitive RFP process since 2015 and that the city receives more than 50 applications per year.

Why this matters: The Shannon grant pays for youth programs, outreach, credible messenger and trauma-response work across Boston neighborhoods. Many witnesses told the committee that steady Shannon funding is essential for prevention work that…