Pittsburgh looks to use some money from anti-violence trust fund on parks, recreation

Pittsburgh officials are considering allowing a portion of its Stop the Violence trust fund money to go to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

The trust fund currently must use 60% of its budget to support outside organizations. That money goes to nonprofits across the city in the form of grants. The rest is used internally, with much of the money funding the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety, which provides social workers, helps with homeless outreach and works to address violence.

Legislation currently before City Council would change that to allow half of the money to be used internally and half to go to outside organizations.

It also would allow up to 10% of the money used on internal operations to go to the Department of Parks and Recreation. Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill District, said it could help to bolster the city’s recreation centers and programming for young people.

The legislation also would put a cap on how much money can go into the fund at $10 million per year, Lavelle said.

Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, said she would like to see more money going into parks and recreation centers from the Stop the Violence fund.

This comes as some council members have voiced concerns about using Stop the Violence trust fund money on outside organizations. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, has repeatedly raised alarms about the lack of reporting on how that money is spent. Council passed legislation requiring organizations to report on how they use the cash, but the reporting mechanism has not been widely used.

Kail-Smith said some organizations that receive the funding do “amazing work,” but said with others, officials aren’t “sure what they’re doing” or how to track the results.

Council is expected to take a final vote on the measure next week.