Haverhill and Methuen are again sharing in a $314,785 state grant aimed at reducing youth and gang violence.
The cities are among 15 program sites sharing $8.5 million on the 20th anniversary of the Sen. Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative. Haverhill and Methuen will work with UMass Lowell, which was also awarded $38,156 to provide strategic analysis and support to maintain and improve operations and meet program goals.
“No agency can do this work alone,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Gina K. Kwon. “For 20 years, the Shannon grant has demonstrated what is possible when nonprofits, police, prosecutors and community stakeholders work together. It succeeds because violence reduction and youth engagement are a shared responsibility that requires coordinated action.”
With this year’s awards, the state has invested nearly $176.2 million through Shannon CSI, which serves as a national model for violence prevention.
The program was created in memory of state Sen. Charles E. Shannon Jr., who represented the 2nd Middlesex District at the time of his death on April 5, 2005. Shannon CSI incorporates elements of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Comprehensive Gang Model. The program supports regional, multi-disciplinary approaches to combat gang violence through five strategy areas: social intervention, suppression, opportunity provision, organizational change and community mobilization.
According to analysis conducted by the program’s Statewide Research Partner, cities with Shannon CSI program sites experienced reductions in crimes committed by youth ages 10 to 24—the age group served by the Shannon CSI. These reductions included a 24% drop in aggravated assaults and 52% decrease in robberies between 2020 and 2024. Statewide, there was a 4% reduction in aggravated assaults and a 40% reduction in robberies committed by members of this age group.