How do you fund equality? I'd say fund education by motivated agents (not large organizations subject to bureaucratic/political capture). And fund small business and enterpreneurial activities. In one word, fund subsidiarity.
Agreed, and I also question the premise that "poverty creates crime." This is by no means a universal. Been to many poor places in Asia that have no violent crime. My own village in Italy is poor, but has no violent crime. The key variable in the US is something else.