Binghamton youth programs get state funding for gun violence prevention
“’Whatever statistics the state used to determine cities in need, we obviously have had some gun related violence in the city, but I think more importantly, we have a number of youth at risk,’ said Lupardo. ‘As many of us are painfully aware, the level of poverty in the City of Binghamton is quite high, especially when you look at the statistics for children.’
According to the United States Census Bureau, 32.6% of Binghamton residents live in poverty and that jumps to 45.2% when just looking at data of kids under 18 years old.
Meaningful activities that can engage kids with role models can really be life changing, Lupardo said, but poverty ‘is the underpinning for a lot of the problems that we’re facing.'”