Roanoke awarded $525,000 in grants to address gun violence ‘I see a change in how we do community’ Roanoke awarded $525,000 in grants to address gun violence ROANOKE, Va. – The City of Roanoke was awarded more than half a million dollars in grants from the Department of Criminal Justice Services to address gun violence. Councilman Joe Cobb, who serves on the city’s Gun Violence Prevention Commission, said the money has immense implications. “Down the road, we want to see generational changes,” said Cobb. The first grant is for $25,000 to conduct a youth and gang violence community assessment. The city will spend the next six months reaching out to kids in the community to hear their stories and what changes they’d like to see.