Jersey City Councilmen James Solomon and Frank “Educational” Gilmore are applauding a $2 million grant award from the state to enact a citywide community-based mental health first response program.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Our first application for this critical funding was denied because a politically connected firm put together a sloppy and unprofessional application — and it is because of the tireless work of Pam Johnson and her Anti-Violence Coalition that we were able to put together a second application, which was quickly accepted,” Solomon said in a statement.
“We are extremely grateful to Ms. Johnson, as well as the family of the late Andrew Washington, who have been critical partners in developing the kind of mental health first-response program our city needs. Mr. Washington’s death should never have happened – and it is my hope that, with this program and more community-minded, common-sense reforms, it will never happen again.”
Solomon, who will be announcing a mayoral run tomorrow night, had been highly critical after the bid from Jersey City was rejected, exclaiming that grant writing consultant Millennium Strategies would be fired for their “unacceptable failure.”
While he and Gilmore voted against it, they received a new two-year, $300,000 contract at last week’s council meeting by a tally of 6-2(1), with Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley not voting, which is the same as an abstention, according to the city clerk’s office.
State Senator Angela McKnight (D-31) said in July that it was “disappointing” that Hudson County wasn’t part of the first round of Community Crisis Response Team state funding made possible by the Seabrooks-Washington Community-Led Crisis Response Act.
The act, signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in January, and was named after Andrew Washington, of Jersey City, and Najee Seabrooks, of Paterson, both who were fatally shot by police officers during a mental health crisis.
“I am grateful that the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County successfully secured funding to bring a much-needed mental health intervention program to Jersey City,” added Gilmore.
“This funding will address a significant gap in the fight for mental health awareness and intervention. Securing these types of funds has been a continuous process, beginning with our first push for programs like Arrive Together over three years ago. I also want to acknowledge community members, including Jersey City Together, whose valuable insights and persistence in educating the Ward F Council Office played a crucial role in making this possible.”
Johnson, who is running for the Ward A council seat on Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea’s (D-2) ticket, said the anti-violence group where she serves as executive director is “honored” to secure the critical state funding.
” … This grant will allow us to implement a truly community-centered crisis response program, something Jersey City has been needing for a long time,” she nnoted.
“With this funding, we can offer compassionate, nonviolent mental health intervention to residents in their most vulnerable moments, preventing the tragedies we’ve seen in the past. Our success is a testament to the hard work of our team, the support from Council members Solomon and Gilmore, and the resilience of Andrew Washington’s family, who have been steadfast advocates for change.”
