Nonprofit Gets $58K To Combat Violence In Western Queens

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — The non-profit Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement received a funding boost for its anti-violence programs in the public housing developments of western Queens.

The Riis Settlement will use the $58,000 in state funds to help get guns off the street and stop violence in such NYCHA developments as Queensbridge Houses, where the organization is based.

State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, who represents Long Island City and Astoria, announced the funding during the Queensbridge Hosues Family Day on Tuesday.

"Community safety is the cornerstone on which lively, thriving, and healthy neighborhoods are build," Riis Settlement executive director Christopher Hanway said in a statement.

The announcement came in advance of the National Night Out, which promotes police-community partnerships.