The exterior of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. (Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PA)
Two Montgomery County state legislators secured more than $6 million in funding to further addiction, crisis and victim support initiatives across the Philadelphia region.
State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, D-17th Dist., and Rep. Greg Scott, D-54th Dist., issued press releases listing grant funds furnished through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
“These programs already do our community a great service by providing critical resources to people in crisis due to past trauma, crime, mental health issues, or drug reliance,” Scott said in a statement.
Cappelletti’s legislative boundaries encompass parts of Delaware and Montgomery counties, including Norristown as well as East Norriton and Lower Merion townships. Scott’s district serves residents in Conshohocken, Norristown and Plymouth Township.
“Our vulnerable neighbors here in District 17, and across the commonwealth, deserve robust support systems that allow them to navigate trauma and find healing,” Cappelletti said in a statement, stressing the need to ensure “our communities truly uplift folks when they need it most.”
Distributed funds are anticipated to offer services to victims of child abuse, sexual assault and violent crimes, while violence prevention and intervention-related programming will have a focus, according to a statement from Cappelletti’s office.
The funding announcement from the state legislators designated monies to several governmental and nonprofit agencies, including Gaudenzia, the Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, the Norristown Police Department and Montgomery County government.
Around $1.18 million in allocated funds to the Montgomery County Commissioners to bolster victim services, recovery, suicide prevention, and substance abuse treatment programming. The Montgomery County Commissioners were assigned another $315,333 for the district attorney’s office and $111,032 for the juvenile probation office.
The Municipality of Norristown received $191,600 for the Norristown Police Department’s behavioral response team and Upper Merion Township received $197,301.
Additionally, $500,000 was designated to the Norristown-based Gaudenzia, The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth, of Audubon, received $500,000, the Norristown-based Victim Services Center of Montgomery County received $117,736, another $99,960 went to the East Norriton Township-based Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, and $28,416 was awarded to the Colmar-based Women’s Center of Montgomery County.
