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Nonprofits and residents urge Cincinnati council to preserve leverage‑support funding for youth jobs, violence prevention and neighborhood services
Summary
Dozens of nonprofit leaders, program alumni and neighborhood representatives urged the budget committee to retain or increase the city's leverage‑support and Neighborhood Support Program funding, citing youth employment, violence prevention, traffic calming and small‑business assistance needs.
A broad coalition of nonprofit leaders, program alumni and neighborhood representatives urged the Cincinnati City Council budget committee to preserve and, in some cases, increase leverage‑support and neighborhood funding at the public hearing following the budget office presentation.
"I'm Jonathan Brown, President of City Gospel Mission and I'm here to talk about our innovative program called Jobs Vans 2 that is changing the lives for the homeless and poor," Jonathan Brown told the committee, asking for the council's continued support to sustain the program. Abe Wolfolk, vice president of City Gospel Mission's Employment Network, said the network placed "over 350 people into jobs" last year through employer partnerships and work‑based projects that benefit neighborhoods.
Speakers representing ArtWorks, the African American Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber, KidFuture CPS, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, Lighthouse Youth and Family Services and numerous community councils described similar needs: paid summer jobs and apprenticeships for young people, funding for violence‑prevention programs, traffic‑calming and safe‑streets investments, and technical and procurement assistance for small businesses.
Lighthouse asked specifically for continued Shakeley Center funding at $199,620 and requested an additional $150,000 to sustain prevention services after federal funding ends Sept. 30, 2026, Benita Campbell, Lighthouse's chief operating officer, said on the record. Whitney Austin of Whitney Strong requested a $50,000 appropriation to continue Save a Life training that provides free evidence‑based training, gun locks and bleeding‑control kits to residents. Lorena Mora Maury spoke on behalf of the Hispanic Chamber asking the council to approve a proposed $100,000 allocation for scholarships and entrepreneurship programs.
Multiple speakers highlighted the Neighborhood Support Program (NSP). Elizabeth Bartley of Invest in Neighborhoods asked the council not to cut NSP funding and to consider increasing it, citing survey results that show resident priorities of safety, transportation and neighborhood maintenance. Residents from the Beekman Corridor asked for funding for DOTE traffic‑calming projects, citing multiple traffic deaths in the corridor.
Speakers also described measurable past returns from small grants: Keep Cincinnati Beautiful reported funding 90 projects totaling $2,280,000 since 2023 and volunteer contributions that the speaker said translated to more than $700,000 in volunteer time; Invest in Neighborhoods cited that modest council grants leveraged additional private and volunteer investment in 2024.
Council Chair Jeff Gramerty closed the hearing after final public comments and said no further business remained; committee scheduling will continue as staff and departments prepare the mayor's recommended budget.
What speakers asked for (on the record): continued support for Jobs Vans 2 and ArtWorks youth employment; $199,620 continued funding and $150,000 additional prevention funding for Lighthouse; $50,000 for Whitney Strong; $100,000 for the Hispanic Chamber; increased or protected Neighborhood Support Program allocations; and DOTE traffic‑calming funding for corridor safety projects.
