HARRISBURG – Reps. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming) and Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford) today announced a state grant of more than $125,000 has been awarded to Supporting Area Families Everyday (SAFE) to expand its supervised visitation and parent education program in Bradford and surrounding counties. 

“This funding will help to ensure parents have the support they need to foster healthy relationships with their children,” said Pickett. “By investing in these vital services, we are not only improving outcomes for families today but also building a safer, more stable future for our local communities.”

“Families are the cornerstone of our Commonwealth and society as a whole,” Owlett said. “There’s no greater investment we can make than in programs like this that support families, help parents work through challenging times and protect our children.”

SAFE focuses on reducing domestic violence by providing safe environments for families during custody exchanges and teaching parents emotional self-regulation skills to prevent conflict. The grant will support the salary and benefits of the specialist responsible for the implementation of the program. The Towanda-based nonprofit expects to increase its service capacity by 25% over the next two years with the help of the funding.

The grant was awarded by the Pennsylvania Commissioner on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee through the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program. Applicants were eligible to receive up to $950,000 in funding to support programs to address community violence.