Six NeighborhoodsNOW Communities Receive Federal Funding to Improve Safety

$400,000 from Cleaver and Moore Supports Crime and Safety Programs

(Friday, April 03, 2009)  Six neighborhoods in the bi-state urban core will receive a boost in support thanks to two federal appropriations.  As a part of the 2009 Omnibus bill, funds totaling $400,000 will be directed to Greater Kansas City LISC’s NeighborhoodsNOW initiative and its six targeted areas, specifically for the Neighborhood Safety Program.

Congressmen Dennis Moore and Emanuel Cleaver each sponsored a $200,000 appropriation for the Neighborhood Safety Program in all six NeighborhoodsNOW target communities:

• Downtown Kansas City, Kan., St. Peter/Waterway and Douglass-Sumner in Kansas City, Kan.
• Blue Hills, Ivanhoe and Scarritt Renaissance in Kansas City, Mo.

“We would like to thank Representatives Moore and Cleaver for their generous support and commitment to improving urban-core communities,” said Julie Porter, Greater Kansas City LISC Executive Director. “These funds will have an important impact on safety and crime reduction in the NeighborhoodsNOW target areas.”

The Neighborhood Safety Program is a resident-led initiative that is coordinated by Greater Kansas City LISC. The funding will assist with community organizing and crime and safety initiatives, working with community policing and residents to reduce crime and to assist in ensuring safe neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Safety Program will provide tools and training to neighborhood leaders, including Neighborhood Watch programs, and apply technology such as cameras and neighborhood Wi-Fi capability to identify high crime areas and criminal traffic patterns, and other innovative tools that are identified by residents through their NeighborhoodsNOW Quality of Life Plans.

"I have long been a supporter of successful crime and safety initiatives, such as the Neighborhood Safety Program, and appreciate the ongoing efforts of Greater Kansas City LISC to strengthen and improve our communities.  Through my service in Congress, I will continue to work with local organizations to accomplish goals that are important to our neighborhoods and communities," said Congressman Dennis Moore.

“Improving the safety and security of residents in the urban core is one of my priorities, and I am pleased to support the Neighborhood Safety Program, which is led by residents and is for the betterment of our urban neighborhoods,” said Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.

The funds will be housed at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and are earmarked for the NeighborhoodsNOW programs and projects, the flagship community development initiative of Greater Kansas City LISC.   

The benefits of the Neighborhood Safety Program are numerous: Increased Neighborhood Watch participation; greater community police presence; and an increase in the tools assisting residents, police, and community development corporations to address safety issues. These additional activities result in an overall decrease in crime and an improved quality of life for neighborhood residents.