Two Greene County projects get public safety funds

The Missouri Department of Public Safety is handing out more than $1.5 million in federal grant funding to 25 local and state government agencies, and two Greene County organizations are on the list.

The county's Enhanced Alternatives to Detention program and its Juvenile Office's Services, Accountability and More program are getting funding from the state agency, which is awarding grants to agencies working to reduce juvenile crime and to develop juvenile delinquency prevention and treatment programs.

The two Greene County groups will receive about $40,000 and $36,000, respectively, for their efforts. EAD program funds come from the Title II Formula grant program, while SAM funding is from the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program. The state Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and DPS administer the grant programs at the state level.

"Working to prevent juvenile crime and intervening to help at-risk youth early on not only keeps our neighborhoods safer, it gives us a chance to turn kids around, build stronger families and better communities and to make a real difference for Missouri down the road," Gov. Jay Nixon said in a news release.

Programs are continuously monitored and reviewed to ensure grantees remain in compliance with guidelines, according to the release.