Press Releases

Johnson Announces Grants to Help Encourage Safe Neighborhoods and Improve School Safety in Shreveport

Washington, September 29, 2022

WASHINGTON, September 28, 2022 — United States Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, today announced that the City of Shreveport and Volunteers for Youth Justice of Shreveport will receive grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to help encourage safe neighborhoods and improve school safety.

“We’re thankful for this federal investment to help encourage safer neighborhoods and safer schools in Shreveport,” Johnson said.

  • The City of Shreveport, Louisiana will receive $152,565.
  • Volunteers for Youth Justice of Shreveport will receive $993,736.

Background from the U.S. Department of Justice:

On the award to the City of Shreveport — BJA FY 22 Project Safe Neighborhoods:

(1) To reduce gun and gang crime and violence, thereby creating safer neighborhoods, and sustaining that reduction through prevention, enforcement, and intervention;

(2) To support increased law enforcement programs to identify, target, and arrest violent armed offenders and armed criminal organizations;

(3) To aggressively prosecute violent crimes including, but not limited to, felonious firearm crimes and criminal gang violence; and,

(4) To educate juveniles on gun and gang-related issues and the consequences of violent crime in order to reduce the occurrence of youth-related incidents and increase positive outcomes for at-risk youths, as well as, to provide mentoring strategies for at-risk youth.

On the award to Volunteers Youth Justice of Shreveport — OJJDP FY 2022 Enhancing School Capacity To Address Youth Violence:

Volunteers for Youth Justice (VYJ), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has served Northwest Louisiana since 1981, will further develop its Trauma Responsive School Resource Center Program by establishing new Resource Centers in four additional elementary schools located in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. VYJ will build upon the success of its first School Resource Center, opened in August 2021, to reduce and prevent school violence, address disruptive behaviors in the students, aid parents to learn better parenting skills and access needed social services, and improve morale throughout each elementary school served.