$698,807 State Grant For Wyandanch SNUG

WYANDANCH, NY — The Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk was awarded a $698,807 grant from the state in December for the Wyandanch SNUG program.

Wyandanch SNUG has been around since 2012, Program Manager Thomas Beverly told Patch. Its primary focus is to reduce gun violence by mediating conflicts and working with community members who are at highest risk of shooting someone or getting shot.

Beverly said the SNUG program's greatest challenge is that Wyandanch is a small community. "The community members that we lose due to gun violence are known within the community — friends or family members."

One of its greatest successes is building community. "We currently have three outreach workers who were former participants," Beverly said.

The grant was one of 16 awarded by the state to support SNUG Street Outreach programs in 14 communities across New York. The SNUG program uses a public health approach to address gun violence by identifying the source, interrupting transmission, and treating individuals, families and communities affected by it.

"Public safety is my top priority, and we are working to reduce gun violence in the communities most affected by it," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an announcement about the grants. "With these funds, we are expanding on the proven success of the SNUG program, which has been a key component of my administration’s efforts to drive down incidents of gun violence and tackle this issue across the state."

The total of $20.3 million in SNUG grants awarded in December to 16 different community-based organizations and hospitals will fund outreach workers, hospital responders, social workers and case managers who are credible messengers — and work to reduce shootings and save lives, state officials said.