HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency is rolling out a sweeping expansion of violence prevention, crisis response, and school safety funding, directing hundreds of millions of dollars statewide as officials point to sharp declines in homicides and growing momentum behind community-based approaches to public safety.
State officials on December 8 highlighted Lancaster County as a model for crisis response, announcing new and expanded investments in peer co-responder programs that pair police officers with trained behavioral health and recovery specialists. The initiative is backed by Violence Intervention and Prevention grant funding administered by PCCD and supported by the Shapiro-Davis Administration.
In 2023, PCCD awarded more than $380,000 to the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumer Association to launch a police and peer recovery co-responder pilot with the Elizabethtown Police Department. The program deploys certified peer and recovery specialists alongside officers to certain emergency calls, with the goal of reducing conflict, de-escalating crises, and connecting individuals to services rather than cycling them through the justice system.
Lancaster County’s pilot is now expanding. In the latest round of state funding, PMHCA received nearly $740,000 to extend the program to five additional police departments: West Lampeter Township, Pequea, Strasburg, East Hempfield, and Manheim Township.
PCCD Executive Director Kirsten Kenyon said the approach reflects a broader shift in how Pennsylvania responds to behavioral health emergencies. She described the co-responder model as a way to deliver timely, compassionate care while strengthening community safety and reducing violence.
Local law enforcement leaders echoed that assessment, saying the shared regional model allows departments to maintain continuity with individuals in crisis who often move across municipal boundaries. Officers said the presence of trained peers with lived experience has improved trust, reduced repeat calls, and connected residents to longer-term solutions.
The Lancaster County expansion is part of a much larger statewide funding surge. On December 11, PCCD approved more than $73 million in new state and federal grants aimed at preventing violence, supporting victims, reducing overdoses, and strengthening probation, parole, and treatment programs for justice-involved individuals. The funding includes millions for hospital-based violence intervention, firearm suicide prevention, substance use treatment, victim services, and children’s advocacy centers.
Commission members also approved the agency’s 2026–2030 strategic framework and received new reports on indigent defense and juvenile justice reform, signaling a multi-year roadmap for public safety policy across the Commonwealth.
One day later, on December 12, PCCD’s School Safety and Security Committee announced the availability of $160 million in state funding to support school safety, student mental health, and youth violence prevention. The funding follows passage of the 2025–26 state budget and includes a $5.65 million increase for the Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program.
Under Governor Josh Shapiro, state funding for the VIP program has more than doubled, rising from $30 million to $62 million. Since January 2023, Pennsylvania has also made nearly $375 million available to schools for mental health and security needs through PCCD.
State officials say the investments are delivering measurable results. Since 2022, homicides statewide have declined by roughly 35 percent, falling from more than 1,000 murders to fewer than 700 in 2024.
PCCD officials said additional grant opportunities, including a combined VIP and Building Opportunity Through Out-of-School Time initiative, are designed to streamline applications and expand access to funding for community organizations working to reduce violence and support at-risk youth across Pennsylvania.
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