HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-15-2006 South Bend’s Model Weed & Seed Alliance Receives $225,000 Department of Justice Grant To Continue 4th Year Funding a�S0110 x8 B�
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Office of the Mayor
Media Release
Wednesday,March 15, 2006
Contact: Mark Dollinger, Weed& Seed Coordinator, 235-7619
South Bend's Model Weed & Seed Alliance Receives $225,000 Department of
Justice Grant To Continue 4th Year Funding
Mayor Stephen J. Luecke announced today that the South Bend Weed and Seed
Alliance (SBWSA)has been awarded a grant from the Department of Justice in the
amount of$225,000, to continue its fourth year of programming. The funds are
earmarked to provide continuation of valuable program activities and assist with new
ones in the Weed& Seed area. The Weed & Seed boundaries are Sample Street on the
south, Grand Trunk Railroad tracks on the north, Arnold Street on the east and Sheridan
Street on the west.
"Renewal of funding for the fourth year Weed and Seed strategy is a compliment
to the coalition of governmental units working together with neighborhood residents
seeking solutions for positive involvement, improvements, and investments in the
community," stated Mayor Luecke.
The South Bend Weed& Seed Alliance is also officially opening a new Safe
Haven at Layman Chapel CME Church,which will offer GED (General Equivalence
Diploma) assistance to neighborhood residents wishing to acquire a GED. The program
will prepare and test individuals for the diploma and help them seek out employment
assistance.
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The grant also allows an Outreach Worker to work with at-risk youth in the
neighborhoods, as a result of a partnership between Ceasefire and SBWSA. CeaseFre is
a community coalition whose mission is to stop the violence in the city, and working
collectively with Weed and Seed,to bring about productive community change.
Along with the new opportunities, grant funds will continue focusing on law
enforcement and community policing efforts and the After School Safe Haven programs.
Within the past three years, the Weed& Seed Alliance has been involved in projects such
as Safe Neighborhoods, Anti-Gang Task Force, Community Policing, Senior Citizens
Security, VIP Patrols, Graffiti Removal and Neighborhood Restoration.
The Weed& Seed program is a federally sponsored community-based strategy
whose purpose is to "weed out"negative and "seed in"positive influences in our
neighborhoods. The South Bend strategy is a collaboration of the City,the St. Joseph
County Prosecutor's Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Weed& Seed Alliance,
and the South Bend Police Department.
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