Friend,

Pennsylvania has experienced a sharp decline in gun homicides, but the Trump administration is cutting funding for violence intervention and survivor support programs.

Last week, Trump’s Justice Department canceled hundreds of grants to community organizations and local governments, including funding for gun violence prevention programs.

The Allentown-based organization Promise Neighborhoods is among the grantees that lost funding last week. Promise Neighborhoods works with the Lehigh Valley Hospital to provide trauma-informed care and services to shooting victims to break the cycle of violent retaliation. This is precisely the kind of work our government should be investing in. Violence intervention programs protect lives, save taxpayer dollars, and build lasting community safety.

With the Trump administration abandoning its duty to keep us safe, it’s more important than ever that we leverage the power we’ve built at the state level. We need our state lawmakers to close the gap by coordinating funding and support for state-based violence prevention programs.

We refuse to let the Trump administration’s neglect make the gun violence crisis worse. Right now, the General Assembly is considering what to prioritize in the state’s next budget. Send a message to your legislator now urging them to invest in safer communities.