Safe Commercial Corridors Grant

Funder: District of Columbia Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice

The Safe Commercial Corridors Grant Program, managed by the District of Columbia Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, aims to enhance public safety and health in local commercial districts. This initiative allocates funding for activities such as relationship-building among community members, assisting with security improvements, and providing safe passage for individuals. The program underscores the importance of community engagement and resource connectivity to foster a safer environment for residents, workers, and visitors.

About DMPSJ
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ) was reconstituted in 2011 to provide guidance, support and coordination of public safety and justice agencies of the District of Columbia. The role of the agency was expanded to include oversight of service programs that previously operated as independent agencies. DMPSJ provides agency oversight and support for citywide public safety and justice related policies, activities and initiatives under its jurisdiction including:
Developing and supporting policies and programs to improve the delivery of services by government agencies and contracted providers;Coordinating interagency activities and initiatives;Identifying opportunities for reducing redundancies, leveraging resources, creating economies of scale, and improving outcomes;Ensuring compliance with local and federal mandates; andCollecting and disseminating performance data for agency activities and initiatives.
Each year the Mayor's administration distributes $7 million dollars in funding to qualified community-based organizations (CBOs) in the District of Columbia through the outreach offices of the Mayor’s Office on Community Affairs (MOCA). These outreach offices manage community grant programs and work with grantees to implement programs focused on the Mayor’s priorities for District residents.
Safe Commercial Corridors Grant Program
The Safe Commercial Corridors Grant Program is designed to promote public safety and health through evidence-based activities for residents, workers, and visitors within the area served by the organization and the surrounding area (“commercial district”). The program will fund the following activities:
Relationship-building with residents, workers, businesses, and regular visitors; Connecting residents, workers, visitors, and businesses with resources available through District government agencies and direct service providers;Providing safe passage for individuals who request accompaniment walking to transit or their vehicles;Assisting businesses with improvements to their security and safety systems and protocols;Responding to individuals with substance use disorders and implementing harm-reduction strategies;Implementing de-escalation techniques;Deterring crime and public safety violations;Liaising with residents, workers, businesses, visitors, District public safety and health agencies, direct service providers in the community, and others as appropriate;Providing culturally competent services and programming; andImplementing other innovative strategies to promote public safety.