Syracuse council hears plan to reallocate DOJ violence-prevention grant amid concerns over sustainability and cost per participant

City staff told Syracuse City Council they are reallocating portions of a Department of Justice (DOJ) violence‑prevention grant to local nonprofits after some original contractors did not invoice or perform under their awards.

The updated award total presented to the council was $272,278.36, and officials said Syracuse Community Connections would receive an additional roughly $103,000 while Good Life Youth Foundation would receive an increase (discussed as about $73,000) as part of the reallocation plan. Staff said the Southwest Center would receive a larger share because it will host Mothers Against Gun Violence, a community program led by Leapa Jones.

Why it matters: council members said the reallocation keeps services running for high‑risk individuals but urged greater transparency. They asked for a side‑by‑side comparison of the original 2024 budgets and the revised line items so members can see what changed and why. Several raised alarm about short‑term funding and the risk that participants could lose services once the federal grant term or extension ends.

Staff described the city’s role as manager and monitor of contracts for the Mayor’s Office Against Gun Violence. Stephanie Pasqual, identified in the hearing as chief strategy officer with the city of Syracuse, explained the DOJ grant is reimbursement‑based and was written in 2022; the federal government must deem expenses eligible before payback, a structure staff said has challenged smaller providers that must outlay costs upfront.

Program operations: city staff and contracted providers described a ‘‘focus deterrence’’ case‑management model in which Syracuse Police Department (SPD) supplies a core list of roughly 32 high‑risk individuals. City staff said outreach teams (including SPD detectives, probation and a district attorney who participates in interviews, named during the meeting as Joe Cooligan) vet candidates that community providers hire or serve. The city requires partner organizations to submit data forms and meet bi‑weekly to track participants and identify gaps.

Service and staffing details: Hassan Stevens, founder and CEO of Good Life Youth Foundation, said his organization follows a model that pairs participants with lived‑experience lead coaches and that national guidance recommends roughly a 1:8 coach‑to‑participant ratio for the highest‑risk youth. Good Life and partners cited Safer Streets-era results they said they would continue to track: in one cited cohort, 76% of participants did not reoffend; of a 24‑person example, staff said 12 received mental‑health assessments, seven obtained employment, and two were rehoused. Providers said they keep participant identifiers confidential but will provide aggregated data electronically on request.

Council concerns: several members questioned whether the apparent per‑participant cost—discussed in the meeting as hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few dozen participants—is the most efficient approach and pressed for clarity on what the additional dollars buy (added outreach worker time, a new or expanded engagement specialist, increased program management time and benefits lines were among the changes staff described). Councilmembers repeatedly requested a detailed, line‑by‑line comparison of the original grant budgets and the proposed revisions.

Sustainability plans: staff described near‑term mitigation steps, including that the grant is already on extension while the city awaits DOJ approval; plans to demonstrate program impact to attract additional funding; and a ‘‘Plan B’’ option to pursue Medicaid‑eligible billing (via a partner identified as ICAN) and other grants, including additional DOJ opportunities and local partnerships. Staff said monthly coordination meetings with county, faith‑based and outreach partners would help hand off participants when a grant cycle ends.

What the council asked for next: officials requested the side‑by‑side budget comparison and electronic summaries of outcome data from the Safer Streets pilot and the city said it would provide those. No formal vote or ordinance was recorded during the discussion; council members closed the item by asking for continued updates and the requested documentation.

Quotes from the meeting: "This is a reimbursement grant... it's incredibly strict in terms of what we're able to pay for," said Stephanie Pasqual, chief strategy officer with the city of Syracuse, explaining federal rules for the DOJ grant. "We do what's called focus deterrence... we receive names from Syracuse Police Department which is called the core list," a city presenter said, describing the case‑management model. "We're spending $500,000, $600,000 for 30 kids," a councilmember said, describing concern about apparent per‑participant costs. "We have a model called lead lived‑experience expert development... in the last five years, zero of our participants and employees have been involved with the law," said Hassan Stevens of Good Life Youth Foundation, describing staff vetting and experience requirements.

Next steps: staff committed to supplying the council with a line‑by‑line prior vs. revised budget comparison and aggregated program outcome data; the grant remains subject to DOJ reimbursement rules and approval of the extension, and council members signaled they will continue oversight until the requested documentation is provided.