GIVE is an initiative of New York State which provides funding to police departments and county law enforcement. “GIVE” stands for “Guns Involved in Violence Eliminated.”
Background
Stop the Violence Coalition Inc has operated the GIVE program in WNY every year since 2018. Violent crimes have decreased in Buffalo during this time, as seen below:
In February of 2026 Governor Kathy Hochul remarked that Buffalo saw some of the biggest decreases among GIVE communities, with record lows in all three main categories:
- gun-related deaths fell 26%
- the number of people shot fell 23%, and
- shootings with injuries fell 19%, compared to 2024.
City of Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said, “Buffalo is seeing real, measurable progress in reducing gun violence.” State Senator April Baskin said, “These historic reductions in gun violence reflect the tireless work happening every day between law enforcement, community organizations, and neighbors committed to meeting the needs of our community.”
Credits: Chart created at link: Opendata Buffalo, FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Quotes and information from WGRZ.com article by Author Kim DeGeorge February 5, 2026.
Our Work
Stop the Violence Coalition Inc (STVC) and partner organizations provide:
- mentorship
- support through emotional stress
- court advocacy
- educational resources
- income opportunities and
- community restoration services
to community members ages 5-75 in the WNY region. STVC has worked with over 100 youth following the GIVE program. We work with law enforcement and the Erie County Probation Department and have collectively referred individuals to multiple programs.
Notifications
We perform notification visits as needed. These are visits to the home of a person on probation when there is information that they may be involved in bad situations. We share resources and information to help the person to live a productive life and not be arrested in the future.