Philadelphia, PA — Thanks to funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grant program, nonprofit Opportunities Industrialization Center of Philadelphia (OIC) is expanding its free workforce development training program, which has helped provide workforce training to 157 justice-involved individuals since 2023.
Today, Shapiro-Davis Administration officials visited OIC Philadelphia to spotlight how combining job training with wraparound supports has helped individuals overcome barriers, reduce violence, and build safer communities. The visit emphasized the importance of continued investments in community-based programs that change lives and strengthen neighborhoods.
Last year, homicides dropped statewide by 23 percent— from 880 in 2023 to 671 in 2024— a larger reduction than the national decrease of 15 percent. Sustained investments like the VIP grant program are likely contributing to many communities across Pennsylvania seeing real progress in reducing gun violence.
“Community-based organizations like OIC Philadelphia are showing us every day that when we invest in people, we invest in safer neighborhoods,” said PCCD Executive Director Kirsten Kenyon. “By pairing workforce training with basic needs and behavioral health supports, OIC is helping to reduce violence and create lasting change in Philadelphia communities.”
Last January, PCCD’s School Safety and Security Committee approved $45 million in VIP grants to 67 programs across the Commonwealth. OIC Philadelphia received over $216,000 in the latest round of VIP funding and approximately $1.3 million from PCCD during the first round of VIP funding in 2021.
"PCCD's funding has been transformative for our justice-involved participants at OIC Philadelphia, providing critical resources to break down the unique barriers faced by individuals returning from incarceration. This support enables us to address the compounding challenges of re-entry— from expungement services and legal assistance to specialized job placement with second-chance employers who understand their journey,” said Sheila Ireland, President and CEO of OIC Philadelphia. “For our participants with justice-involved backgrounds, PCCD's investment means the difference between recidivism and redemption, between closed doors and genuine second chances. It's funding that recognizes that public safety is best served when we invest in helping people build stable, productive lives in their communities.”
Since 2023, PCCD funding has enabled OIC Philadelphia to provide workforce training to more than 157 justice-involved individuals. The program has helped 69 participants successfully secure employment and 73 complete vocational training. Notably, an overwhelming majority— 95 percent— of OIC’s program participants have successfully avoided further justice involvement.
Last week, Lt. Governor Austin Davis visited Philadelphia Youth Basketball— which uses basketball as a means to engage youth in constructive activities while providing mentorship, physical fitness, and personal development opportunities— and has significantly grown thanks to more than $1.7 million in support from PCCD over two VIP funding cycles.
VIP grant projects, like OIC Philadelphia and Philadelphia Youth Basketball, are addressing the root causes and impacts of community violence in Philadelphia and other communities across the state by offering mentorship and youth programs, job training, street outreach, enhanced collaboration between law enforcement and community-based organizations, victims’ services, and more.
Since taking office in January 2023, the Shapiro-Davis Administration has secured millions in state and federal funding to make our communities safer, including:
- Awarding $85 million in funding for 131 VIP and Coordinated Community Violence Intervention (CCVI) strategies grant projects;
- Providing more than 800 technical assistance sessions to 135 community-based violence prevention groups receiving PCCD grant funding through the PA Peace Alliance; and
- Recently announcing more than $5 million through two separate federal Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) funding solicitations to reduce firearm suicides and intimate partner homicides and improve behavioral health responses. Applications are being accepted until early September.
VIP grant funding is part of the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s broader commitment to enhancing community safety and reducing gun violence across the Commonwealth. Learn more about PCCD’s efforts to reduce violence and make Pennsylvania’s communities safer.
