Pittsburgh City Council proposal would provide oversight of Stop the Violence Fund

Pittsburgh’s Stop the Violence Fund would be required to spend at least 80% of its money on community-based, non-government organizations under a proposal discussed Wednesday by City Council.

The measure, sponsored by Councilman Ricky Burgess, would require that no more than 20% of the Stop the Violence Fund be spent internally.

It also would require the fund’s budget to be approved by council and the fund would be housed under the Department of Public Safety, Burgess said.

The limit on how much money that could be spent internally is meant to keep “the spirit of the fund in place,” Burgess said.

“The whole idea was to fund outside violence prevention programs,” he said, explaining that the figures of 80% and 20% were created based on the department’s current staffing needs and collaboration with the Department of Public Safety and others.

The fund aims to offer services like social workers, outreach workers and other violence prevention measures forming a “coordinated effort” with police and community organizations, Burgess said.

The 20% of the fund used for internal purposes would pay for things like the Office of Community Health and Safety and their staff. But, Burgess said, it remains imperative to ensure that most of the money flows into community organizations, which was why the fund was initially created.

“We’re trying to protect this money from going to anything but its intended purpose,” Councilman Anthony Coghill said.

Some members of council, however, expressed concern that 20% of the money wasn’t enough to support fledgling internal initiatives that may need room to grow, like the Office of Community Health and Safety. Councilwoman Erika Strassburger voted in favor of the measure Wednesday, but said she’d like to revisit it because of concerns that there wasn’t enough funding for such initiatives.

“What I’d like to see is a real strategic plan on funds being spent to stop the violence,” Councilman Bobby Wilson said, calling the breakdown of funds to be spent internally or externally “arbitrary.”

The staff working within offices funded through the Stop the Violence Fund can also get money through the city budget, Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle noted.

“If we believe in what the staff is doing, budget season is quickly upon us,” he said.

Council President Theresa Kail-Smith also highlighted general concerns about funding nonprofits without enough accountability, an issue she said applies to more than just this legislation. She also voted in favor of the fund proposal, but said she’d like to revisit the measure to see how officials could ensure that they only funded legitimate nonprofits and community groups and hold those groups accountable so they used the funds properly.

Despite several concerns raised by members, all members in attendance voted in favor of advancing the legislation, which could be up for a final vote as early as next week.