Funding will be utilized to increase visibility and community involvement in an additional neighborhood with the expectation to reduce crime, increase police and community interaction, and unify…

The City of St. Cloud, Minnesota was awarded $475,000 under the Congressionally Recommended Awards program of the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA #16.753) to establish a second Community Outpost (COP) house. Funding will be used to purchase an existing residence on the city's east side and modify it to accommodate COP house programming and office space for human services, health care, neighborhood organizations, and ambulance services. The goal is to increase community involvement and reduce crime through a similar model that has proven successful with the city's first COP house established in 2017. Work under the award is expected to be completed by December 31, 2023.

Funding will be utilized to increase visibility and community involvement in an additional neighborhood with the expectation to reduce crime, increase police and community interaction, and unify neighborhood organizations. This would be accomplished with purchase of an existing residence to establish the city of saint cloud's second "COP house". COP stands for community outpost and is a home in a neighborhood that has had issues with crime activity. The first COP house was established in the city of saint cloud in august of 2017 on the city's south-side and has thrived as a outpost for the community. The amount of direct spending requested would be utilized to purchase and make improvements on an existing residence as well as provide adequate funding to modify the residence to accommodate COP house programming and office space for tenants not limited to but would include human services, health care, neighborhood organization space and ambulance services. The new community outpost would be considered on the cities east side which has seen a significant shift in "quality of life" issues to include crime, homelessness, and mental health calls for service.