What to Know
- New York is investing $16 million to fund workforce training and job placement programs in 20 cities most impacted by gun violence in an attempt to make them safer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
- This initiative will directly help 3,200 youth in Captial Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Long Island, Mid-Hudson and Western New York, and builds on the $12 million Cuomo announced on July 14 to provide 2,400 jobs to young workers in New York City, according to the state.
- This latest effort is part of Cuomo's first-in-the-nation gun violence disaster emergency and comprehensive strategy to tackle the increase of gun violence statewide.
New York is investing $16 million to fund workforce training and job placement programs in 20 cities most impacted by gun violence in an attempt to make them safer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
This initiative will directly help 3,200 youth in Captial Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, and Western New York, and builds on the $12 million Cuomo announced on July 14 to provide 2,400 jobs to young workers in New York City, according to the state.
This latest effort is part of Cuomo's first-in-the-nation gun violence disaster emergency and comprehensive strategy to tackle the increase of gun violence statewide. The initiative treats gun violence as a public health crisis and includes short-term solutions as well as long-term strategies that include intervention and prevention strategies.
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Unemployed, underemployed, and out-of-school youth age 18 to 24 in areas of cities impacted by gun violence will be eligible.
The cities that will receive funding under this latest effort are:
| Area | Youth to be Served | Funding |
| Nassau County | 180 | $900,000 |
| Hempstead | 100 | $500,000 |
| Suffolk | 140 | $700,000 |
| Albany | 190 | $950,000 |
| Schenectady | 60 | $300,000 |
| Troy | 140 | $700,000 |
| Buffalo | 530 | $2,650,000 |
| Jamestown | 45 | $225,000 |
| Niagara Falls | 50 | $250,000 |
| Syracuse | 150 | $750,000 |
| Rochester | 450 | $2,250,000 |
| Poughkeepsie | 70 | $350,000 |
| Kingston | 60 | $300,000 |
| Newburgh | 120 | $600,000 |
| Middletown | 65 | $325,000 |
| Yonkers | 220 | $1,100,000 |
| Mt Vernon | 210 | $1,050,000 |
| Spring Valley | 150 | $750,000 |
| Utica | 120 | $600,000 |
| Binghamton | 150 | $750,000 |
| TOTAL | 3,200 | $16 million |
This new investment brings New York's total commitment to reducing gun violence to $154.7 million, according to the state.
News
"Gun violence is a public health crisis, in New York State and across the country, and we're attacking it with the same comprehensive, evidence-based approach we used to beat COVID. We know that simply telling kids to put the gun down doesn't work—we have to give them an alternative," Cuomo said in a statement.
Under this new initiative, the New York State Department of Labor will partner with local workforce development boards in each area as well as community partners to provide job training, credentialing and career placement services to connect at-risk youth to good-paying, permanent jobs.
"Our local workforce development boards are proven partners with an extensive history of helping young people improve their lives through job training and placement. Governor Cuomo is leading this charge through innovative short-term programs that dovetail to proven long-term solutions that will last for generations," State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said.
Cuomo issued the first-in-the-nation Executive Order declaring gun violence in New York as a Disaster Emergency on July 6 -- the first step in a comprehensive plan that aims to tackle the surge in gun violence throughout the state.
The disaster emergency status will allow the state to address the gun violence crisis by expediting money and resources to communities so they can begin targeting gun violence immediately.
This is the first step in a comprehensive plan Cuomo outlined composed of 7 key areas -- all with the aim of quelling the gun violence surge. The key areas are:
- Treat gun violence like the emergency public health it is;
- Target hotspots with data and science;
- Positive engagement for at-risk youth;
- Break the cycle of escalating violence;
- Get illegal guns off the streets;
- Keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people;
- Rebuild the police-community relationship
This new strategy treats gun violence as a public health crisis, using short-term solutions to manage the immediate gun violence crisis and reduce the shooting rate, as well as long-term solutions that focus on community-based intervention and prevention strategies to break the cycle of violence.
Earlier this week, the state announced that hundreds of jobs will be available for at-risk youth in Brooklyn -- all in an attempt to curtail the spike in gun violence that has been plaguing the city in recent months.
The 506 jobs will be available for at-risk youth in seven ZIP codes that make up the zone. The ZIP codes are: 11206, 11213, 11216, 11221, 11222, 11233 and 11238. The announcement comes following a gun violence prevention community meeting.
The state will provide funding to create 254 summer jobs for youth aged 15 to 24 in this zone to keep them employed until the start of school this year.
