Pittsburgh council advances tighter rules for Stop the Violence Trust Fund after hours of public testimony

Pittsburgh City Council's standing committees meeting on July 2 drew a large public turnout and lengthy testimony on amendments to the Stop the Violence Trust Fund (Bill 19-56). Council members ultimately advanced an amended version of the ordinance intended to strengthen oversight, clarify eligible uses and require an open, competitive selection process for grantees.

Hundreds of residents and leaders from community organizations, including REACH, OneHood Media, Kingsley Association, Youth Enrichment Services and the Homewood Children’s Village, gave testimony favoring continued and sustained funding. Speakers described their organizations’ roles in violence interruption, youth programming, mental-health supports and neighborhood stabilization and urged council to fully protect the $16 million trust fund. Several speakers, including clergy and elected officials, tied funding to measured reductions in homicides and shootings, and urged the council not to divert resources to other city priorities.

Council members and administration officials said the amendments respond to calls for clearer rules and reporting. The revised ordinance codifies a steering committee that must meet at least monthly, requires an annual allocation plan to be presented to council, and directs grant-like disbursements to be carried out through an open and competitive procurement process consistent with the city’s procurement code. The amendments also define “community-based organizations” and a geographic targeting tool — the county’s community need index — to prioritize investment in extreme- and high-need neighborhoods.

Administration officials and the city’s Office of Community Services and Violence Prevention told council that the fund has supported the expansion of the REACH outreach team, funded collaborations such as the NewEra4-12 case management system for referrals and tracking, and supported youth and sports programs. Officials cited year-over-year reductions in homicides and nonfatal shootings from 2022 to 2024 (reported in the administration’s progress reports) and said the fund is part of a data-driven public-health approach intended to reduce violence upstream.

Council members asked for further clarity on fiscal mechanics and how internal administrative costs are treated. The amendments keep a floor on external spending — at least half of the fund is to be spent on community groups (after accounting for required allocations such as city sports) — while preserving city stewardship of internal programs. Council passed the amended ordinance by affirmative recommendation at the committee meeting; the item will advance for final council consideration.

The meeting’s public comment underscored strong community support for continued investment. Speakers repeatedly asked council to “protect” the fund and criticized proposals to reallocate the money. Several also urged the council to expand transparency and to use the fund to scale up proven neighborhood-level interventions rather than to finance new policing infrastructure.

Next steps: council will receive the ordinance as amended for final consideration at the next regular meeting. The steering committee and the Office of Community Services and Violence Prevention will be expected to publish an annual allocation plan and meet the new monthly reporting requirements specified in the revised ordinance.