To Stem Shootings, Poughkeepsie Is Bringing Therapy Directly to City Streets


SNUG Street Outreach is a state-funded violence prevention program that brings mental health care out into the community to the places where people spend their time. Trained social workers go out into the street, people’s homes and local businesses where they establish relationships and slowly build up to providing counseling through more casual conversations, even over text messages. A community-based approach allows them to connect with people who are at high-risk of committing gun violence, as well as people who have been victims of gun violence themselves or in their social networks or communities.

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