Baton Rouge, La. – September 19, 2020 – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced Saturday her Safe, Hopeful, Healthy Initiative, which will utilize $2 million in CARES Act Funding to address public safety in Baton Rouge. The initiative is aimed to combat the increase in crime following the global coronavirus pandemic.

“We know that violence, at its core, is induced by a number of factors; we know crime is more likely to occur when people are unable to meet their most basic needs: an education, a stable income, transportation, or access to nutritious food and healthcare,” said Mayor Broome. “The only way for us to move forward is to take a comprehensive, all-encompassing, approach to address the issues facing our community.”

Safe, Hopeful, Healthy will work to interrupt the cycle of violence, strengthen family support, revitalize neighborhoods, promote academic education, and prioritize access to care.

This will be done by implementing mentorship programs, connecting residents to social services, improving the opportunities available within the community through youth development programs, and connecting our residents to neighborhood-based public benefits and supportive services.

The four pillars of our Safe, Hopeful, Healthy Initiative are:

Prioritize Community-Based Public Safety

Stabilize Youth, Family & Community

Expand Health In All Policies

Create Equitable Community Development

The program will work to align resources and partnerships between diverse stakeholders. This will accelerate progress on complex social conditions, policies, and practices to advance health, public safety, and wellbeing in Baton Rouge.

Efforts within the Safe, Hopeful, Healthy Initiative will be informed by analytics from the Baton Rouge Police Department and public health data.