Common Council approves emergency responders grant, program for at-risk youth
Lars Jendruschewitz | Photo Editor
The council approved an up to $250,000 investment into additional administrative oversight and expansion of TRT. The vote on the designated protection status of 727 Comstock Ave. was also pushed back during the Monday meeting.
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The Syracuse City Common Council approved multiple funding proposals for local emergency responders, including the Syracuse Fire Department and the community Trauma Response Team, during its Monday afternoon meeting.
The council also pushed its vote on the designated protection status of 727 Comstock Ave. in the meeting.
The city, in collaboration with UnBEYlievable Enterprises Corp., approved an up to $250,000 investment into additional administrative oversight and expansion of TRT — a community-led group that supports at-risk individuals and offers violence intervention services. The agreement, approved unanimously Monday, will last until June 30, 2025.
UnBEYlievable Enterprises is an organization that works to provide productive and safe responses to violence through collaboration with local organizations, according to its website. TRT, a department within UnBEYlievable, collaborates with the city of Syracuse to implement violence intervention and prevention services.
TRT primarily focuses on working with people ages 11 to 24 who live in neighborhoods with high levels of reported gunshots, according to UnBEYlievable’s website. The goal of the program is to provide grief support for those who have lived through traumatic experiences, including gang violence.
The program also aims to improve educational development and the social and emotional well-being of at-risk youths. Those enrolled in the program are eligible for a sponsor or mentor.
The council also approved an amendment to how the city plans to use a recent federal grant funding for SFD. In early September, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and Chief of Fire Michael Monds announced that the department received $7,595,180 from FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program.
During Monday’s meeting, the council unanimously approved amending an agreement on the funds’ use, allowing the city to access the entire amount. Previously, the agreement was capped at $7.2 million, according to the meeting agenda.
Over the next three years, the department will use the grant to increase the number of front-line firefighters, including offsetting salary and benefits costs for 20 new firefighters.
The council delayed voting on two agenda items, including 727 Comstock Ave., in its meeting.
Councilors postponed their vote on the matter, as well as their decision on whether the city should opt into New York Good Cause Eviction laws.
The council pushed its vote on 727 Comstock Ave. for the second consecutive time. During its Sept. 3 meeting, councilors said they pushed the vote because Syracuse University withdrew its initial plans to demolish the property for the construction of a new dormitory. At the time, councilors said they needed to consult with city attorneys to determine how to continue with the proceedings.
The council’s next opportunity to vote on the two pushed agenda items will be during its next meeting on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m.
Other business:
- The council appointed two new board members to the Syracuse Housing Strategies Corporation Board: 4th District Councilor Patrona Jones-Rowser and Councilor At-Large Rasheada Caldwell. Both will hold two-year terms that will conclude at the end of Sept. 2026.
- The council postponed votes on multiple amendments to Walsh’s Syracuse Safer Streets Program, which it first authorized in 2023. The proposed changes include increasing the number of people eligible for case management, conflict mediation, mentoring and therapy services.
Published on September 16, 2024 at 11:52 pm
Contact Zaara: zamalik@syr.edu
