Two New York State cities will be getting SNUG outreach programs soon. Governor Kathy Hochul announced yesterday, Friday, September 9, 2022, that $1 million in funding will go to establishing the new programs. The state will fund the SNUG outreach programs in Niagara Falls and Utica. Once established, the two new programs will bring the total SNUG chapters around the state to 14. SNUG is currently in Albany, Bronx, Buffalo, Hempstead, Mt. Vernon, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Syracuse, Rochester, Troy, Wyandanch, and Yonkers.

What Is SNUG?

SNUG is actually "guns" spelled backward.

SNUG uses a public health approach to reduce gun violence by identifying the source, interrupting transmission and treating it by providing services and resources to individuals and families and changing community norms around gun violence.

SNUG uses a variety of community-based stakeholders, including outreach workers and social workers to help detect and prevent gun violence. The SNUG teams work in the communities in which they live, so they have deep ties and are invested in making their neighborhoods safer. They use tactics such as mediation, education, events, job training, and mentoring to reach those affected by or involved in violence.

Credit: Governor Kathy Hochul via Youtube

Gov. Hochul said,

We are taking a comprehensive approach and mobilizing resources to support innovative, effective solutions to violence and violent crime on our streets, and programs like SNUG continue to show great progress. We have seen the positive impact of the SNUG Street Outreach program in areas across New York State, and the additional funding announced today will expand this successful program and help communities and local law enforcement agencies address the scourge of gun violence. My administration will continue expanding and funding the state's network of violence interrupters to support this critical work on the ground.

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