A Stoke-on-Trent project to tackle reoffending has been awarded £6,480 from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Proceeds of Crime Fund.
The Proceeds of Crime Fund is made up of assets and money seized from criminals in Staffordshire. This has allowed Brighter Futures at Chepstow House, to set up a ‘Music for Everyone’ project which will offer a wide range of music therapy services.
The project offers support to women for them to better understand trigger factors contributing to offending and to gain support to help tackle the offending cycle.
Brighter Futures is a community based hub that offers immediate access of drug and alcohol services, mental health care services, housing advice and other services.
Mr Ellis said: “I am determined that 100 per cent of funding that comes back to Staffordshire Police from proceeds of crime seizures is going directly to local communities.
“Brighter Futures offers valuable services and I am thrilled I have been able to help them.”
Annalise Jones, operations manager at Chepstow House, said: “’We are grateful that the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner has enabled us to provide innovative additional activities to the women we support at Chepstow House. Our customers are excited about the music group and can’t wait to get started. We look forward to seeing positive outcomes from this alternative therapy.”
As part of his commitment to local communities, the Commissioner is providing £250,000 in 2014/15 through the fund in the form of the Proceeds of Crime Fund grants between £3,000 and £15,000.
Smaller grants, of between £100 and £3,000, are also available through the Commissioners People Power Fund. For more information visit www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/fund
Successful projects in all three funding streams will deliver what’s important to local people based on the four priorities set out in the Commissioner’s Safer, Fairer, United Communities Strategy – tackling the root causes of crime through early intervention, supporting victims and witnesses better, reducing reoffending and increasing public confidence.
