SAFE-52 PLAN

By Michelle Dillingham

Michelle Dillingham�'s Safe-52� Plan for a Safe Cincinnati Making Government Work for the Neighborhoods

Safe-52 Plan:

I will prioritize programs that support safety from City Hall by:

�Restoring and Increasing NSP and NBDU grants to Community Councils

Neighborhood Support Program (NSP) and Neighborhood Business District (NBD) funds provide community councils with the essential resources to support a wide array of initiatives that promote safety: beautification, communications, block watches, neighborhood events, and more. This funding was cut by 50% this year. On Council I will not only restore it, but propose it be increased. I know that community councils are the life-blood of neighborhoods and they need the support from City Hall.

�Re-aligning Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to support safety initiatives

In the next year City Council will approve a 5-year Consolidated Plan that sets priorities for federal block grant funding. In recent years due to budget cuts this funding has been used to plug holes by supporting code enforcement personnel salaries. With increased revenues we need to get back to supporting those jobs with general fund operating dollars, so that CDGB funds are moved back to the neighborhoods. Quality of Life and Citizen Safety are intended uses of this funding, and as a member of Council I will fight so these funds are re-invested in the neighborhoods where they belong.

�Supporting Human Services Funding and Cincinnati Recreation Centers

Human Services funding has received less than .4% of the City budget, and yet a full third of our residents are living below the federal poverty line. These funds support shelter, food, after-school programming to prevent youth violence, and services for women and children escaping abuse. Our neighborhoods are still recovering from devastating foreclosures and job losses. Cutting the safety net to families desperately trying to keep food on the table is a formula for disaster. Our city�fs recreation centers are often the only recreation or after-school care many Cincinnati families have access to. We must do better to support these core services.

Saving Media Bridges

Media Bridges funding has been cut and is slated to close its�f doors by December. Anyone in Cincinnati has been able to record video and sound from this public access media organization on publicly broadcast television and radio. This forum provides a critical function for the community to have a voice on neighborhood issues. Eliminating this outlet would be a significant loss to promoting positive messages.

I will support our Police Department by:

�Respecting Our Police

Our city�'s population more than triples every day when you take into account commuters coming in to work, tourists, and visitors. Expecting our police officers to be able to cover every street at all times is simply not realistic. Our police force needs citizen participation to help prevent and solve crimes. Citizens are the eyes and ears for our police, and we need to step up. On Council I will support our police in every way possible, because I truly value their service.

�Leading an �"It�'s Not Snitching, It�'s Saving A Life�" Initiative

Time and again violent and gang-related crime is left un-solved because people are not talking. On Council I will sponsor an �"It�'s Not Snitching, It�'s Saving A Life�" initiative, and bring together community leaders to work on how to break the codes of silence that are devastating some of our neighborhoods.

Adding Street Outreach Workers to the CIRV Program

The Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) was modeled after gun violence prevention best practices across our nation. But it only works if there are a sufficient number of street outreach workers. On Council I will ensure this program is fully supported so our neighborhoods are getting the full value for their investment in this initiative.

I will support the peace-makers and community-builders in our Neighborhoods by:

�Bringing my community-building experience to seeking long-term solutions to violence

I may not have all the answers, but I have the passion, commitment, and fortitude to not give up on safe streets. No mother, no father, no child should ever have to experience the loss of a loved one to violence. We all have a stake in a safe City, and I will work every day to make sure every neighborhood is a safe neighborhood.