U.S. ATTORNEY RACHELLE AUD CROWE ANNOUNCES $91,731 IN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT GRANTS TO SUPPORT LOCAL PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS PROGRAMS

Fairview Heights, Ill. – U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe announced today that the Department of 
Justice has awarded $91,731 to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program in the Southern 
District of Illinois. Funding will support community efforts to address the epidemic of gun crime 
and serious violence in the district. The grant, to Hoyleton Youth and Family Services, is one of a 
number of awards being made to state and local agencies across the country. Funds are administered 
by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.

Launched two decades ago as an evidence-based and community-oriented response to serious gun crime, 
Project Safe Neighborhoods, known as PSN, is a key component of the Department’s Comprehensive 
Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, outlined by Deputy Attorney General Monaco in May 2021. The 
PSN approach is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities; 
supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first 
place; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities; and measuring the results of our 
efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of 
arrests or prosecutions.

“Partnering with organizations like Hoyleton Youth and Family Services is vital to our efforts to 
combat the scourge of gun violence that plagues so many of our local communities and we are proud 
to have a role in financially supporting the great work it does,” said U.S. Attorney Crowe. “Strong 
collaboration between our law enforcement agencies and community groups and organizations is the 
best means of fostering the safe communities which all of this district’s residents deserve.”

“Reducing violence and sustaining those reductions will require strong partnerships between 
criminal justice agencies and community stakeholders and a shared commitment to the safety and 
well-being of every community member,” said OJP Deputy Assistant Attorney General Maureen 
Henneberg. “The investments we are making through Project Safe Neighborhoods will enable
every stakeholder to play a part in building safer and healthier communities.”

PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies 
and community organizations. The programs’ emphasis on community engagement, prevention and  
intervention  measures,  focused  and  strategic  enforcement,  and  measurement  and 
accountability has helped achieve overall reductions in violent crime, including gun homicides, in 
neighborhoods where PSN strategies have been implemented.

“Over its two-decade history, Project Safe Neighborhoods has evolved to meet the complex challenges 
of community violence by enlisting the insights and expertise of local partners and by relying on 
the latest evidence,” said BJA Director Karhlton F. Moore. “We are proud to support our U.S. 
Attorneys and their allies in their critical work to curb violent crime and build the mutual trust 
necessary to ensure lasting success.”

The awards announced above are being made as part of the regular end-of-fiscal year cycle. More 
information about awards under PSN and other OJP grants can be found on the OJP Grant Awards Page.

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance 
and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial 
equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law.  More
information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.