Latest news with #CommunityViolenceIntervention
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Federal funding cuts force Englewood nonprofit to lay off outreach workers
The Brief Federal funding cuts led to the cancellation of a grant for Think Outside Da Block, an Englewood nonprofit focused on violence prevention and community outreach. The organization laid off more than half its outreach team, raising concerns about increased summer violence without their presence. Community members can support by volunteering, donating, or attending events — including a karaoke fundraiser this Friday at 6 p.m. near Ashland and Marquette. CHICAGO - A nonprofit in Englewood dedicated to building peaceful communities is feeling the effects of federal budget cuts. What we know As federal program cuts continue to take a toll on organizations nationwide, one Englewood nonprofit—dedicated to building peaceful communities—is being forced to make tough changes. The organization's loss of critical government support reflects a broader shift in priorities at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Think Outside Da Block is a nonprofit based on the city's South Side that focuses on youth development, violence interruption, and outreach. It is a member organization in a coalition of nonprofits notified last month that one of its grants was being terminated by the DOJ. Recently, founder Pha'Tal Perkins had no choice but to make difficult decisions that could dismantle years of community progress. He's had to lay off five of eight outreach staffers due to reduced federal support. "It's devastating to our community as some of these individuals are extremely influential and respected in our community and have been able to mediate conflicts and deter violence on the front end," Perkins said. Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), which secured the grant funding, received the notification letter from the Department of Justice on April 22, 2025. In total, $3.7 million has been revoked from three nonprofits in its coalition — including Think Outside Da Block. MPI Executive Director Vaughn Bryant is fighting the decision and has already submitted a formal appeal. Bryant issued the following statement to FOX 32 Chicago on Wednesday: "Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, a division of Metropolitan Family Services, serves those at highest risk of becoming shooting victims or perpetrators of violence themselves. Any life lost to gun violence is one too many. When the DOJ cut $3.7 million of funding to three nonprofits in our coalition, that had an immediate effect on communities like Englewood, West Englewood, and Woodlawn. With a 50 percent reduction in homicides and a 38 percent reduction in shooting victimizations from 2021 to 2025, we know that Community Violence Intervention (CVI) works. We, along with our partners at CPD, are saving lives. Having buy-in and collaboration on the federal level is vital to supporting CVI programming across Chicago. We've appealed the DOJ decision and are hopeful we can come to a swift resolution." Think Outside Da Block was founded in 2016 by Pha'Tal Perkins, who was born, raised, and still lives in Englewood. "Just after taking a wrong path, realizing I wanted better for myself, I wanted better for my community," Perkins said of his inspiration for the organization. With or without that funding, Perkins said his work will continue—showing community members that there is a future beyond their own block. "We all want to go through this summer peacefully, it's going to take all of us to work together," Perkins said. What you can do You can help by volunteering, donating, or attending one of the organization's events. This Friday, May 30, Think Outside Da Block is hosting a karaoke event at 6 p.m. near Ashland Avenue and Marquette Road. On Wednesday, June 4 from 5 to 7 p.m., the organization is teaming up with Chicago's SAFE Ambassadors to hold bike-riding lesson in advance of its upcoming 'Roll N Peace' community bike ride. The Roll N Peace ride, which is held annually, will take place on Friday, June 13 starting at 4 p.m. in Ogden Park (6500 South Racine Avenue). The 'roll off' is planned for 8 p.m. and interested participants can text "ROLLNPEACE" to 708-438-7300 to learn more.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Detroit City Council adopts 2026 fiscal year budget minutes before midnight
About 10 minutes before midnight Tuesday, the Detroit City Council approved the city's annual budget after several delays. Council members approved the fiscal 2025-26 $3 billion budget — of which $1.5 billion makes up the General Fund — boosting several departments and initiatives, including nearly $20 million for the Detroit Department of Transportation to hire drivers, boosting funding for the Charles H. Wright Museum, eviction protection, community violence intervention, disability affairs and housing-related investments. Overall, the city's General Fund budget grew by $102 million from last year's budget. Mayor Mike Duggan proposed the budget in February, which holds nearly $500 million in reserves, comprised of $150 million for the city's Rainy Day Fund and $350 million in the Retiree Protection Fund set aside for pensions. Council members underwent dozens of deliberations for a month to decide where funding shifts may be necessary. Members cut a $5 million subsidy out of the Detroit Land Bank Authority, dropping from $10 million last year. Officials justified cuts due to the Land Bank holding an unassigned $31 million fund balance, further explaining the entity can maintain its properties and services without the city's additional funding. The council also cut $5 million in one-time funding for the Construction and Demolition department for blight activity. The city also has $14.5 million in leftover American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, which needs to be spent by the end of 2026. Council members dedicated $5 million of it to address homelessness, which includes emergency shelters, street outreach, focused case management and the Homelessness Response System. The remaining $9.4 million will be split among the nine council members to spend on ARPA programs of their choice. Other budget adjustments include: $2 million for bus shelters. $2 million for the Charles H. Wright Museum; along with $975,000 in one-time capital funding for the Detroit Historical Museum. $500,000 for eviction defense outreach. $3 million for Community Violence Intervention initiatives. $534,788 to fund six investigators to address backlog and new cases. $400,000 for the Office of Disability Affairs. $1 million to the Housing Trust Fund to develop and preserve affordable housing. $2 million for home repair programs. $308,593 to increase the Board of Ethics' budget. $500,000 for the GOAL Line Detroit Program to increase quality education access. $300,000 to clean 1,000 alleys across the city $326,244 to add a manager of investigations and audit position in the Office of the Inspector General. $220,000 for three inspectors within the Buildings, Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department. $146,000 to restore two positions within the Food Code Enforcement Program in the health department. Councilman Fred Durhal III, who chairs the Budget, Finance and Audit Standing Committee, said this budget adoption led to 'unique challenges' due to resuming pension payments and spending federal ARPA money. 'Despite these tightened financial constraints, City Council worked collaboratively to ensure our highest priorities — like housing, public safety, transportation, infrastructure, and neighborhood investments — remained funded. Through discipline, transparency and cooperation, we've responsibly aligned our resources with the needs of Detroiters, reinforcing our city's commitment to long-term fiscal stability. I'm confident that by continuing to work together, we will keep Detroit on a path to lasting growth and ensure a brighter future for all residents,' Durhal said in a statement. Durhal and City Council President Mary Sheffield voted on their final city budget before leaving office at the end of the year, as they both campaign to be Detroit's next mayor in this year's election. Mayor Mike Duggan is leaving the seat to run for Michigan governor as an independent candidate. The two thanked their colleagues, the legislative policy division and others involved in the budget hearing process. Additionally, several council members wished them well on their future endeavors. 'I have been inspired by what we have been able to accomplish with respect to ensuring the city's budget reflects the priorities of our residents and the values upon which our great city was built,' Sheffield said in a statement. 'While we certainly haven't been able to meet every need or address every priority, our closing resolution is illustrative of our commitment and intent to continue to listen to our constituents and work towards creating opportunities, delivering services and addressing the needs of all residents.' Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@ Follow her: @DanaAfana. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Council adopts $3B budget for 2026 fiscal year
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After state takeover, St. Louis police should maintain community-based intervention efforts
A St. Louis Metro Police car outside Carnahan Courthouse in downtown St. Louis (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent). The imminent return of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police to state oversight is rooted in the belief that policing remains a crucial force for crime reduction. Safer streets, in turn, fuel business growth and community development. These legislative developments — and the changes that come with them — will undoubtedly affect ongoing crime reduction initiatives. Yet, St. Louis stands at a pivotal moment. By official measures, the city has made progress toward reducing violence since 2020-2021, when there was a nationwide spike. Policing will play a key role in sustaining this progress, but other factors are critical as well. Research on strategic 'focused deterrence' policing, dating back to Boston's Operation Ceasefire in the 1990s, has a key takeaway: sustained violence reductions require both effective law enforcement and authentic community engagement. St. Louis has embraced this approach. Public-private partnerships have built a coalition comprised of public health leaders, community organizations, local government, clergy, businesses, credible messengers and residents to form a 'network of capacity' for violence prevention and intervention. This has since expanded to the Save Lives Now! Initiative and other community-driven efforts embodying a proven model: focused law enforcement, cognitive change and services. Such complementary police and community efforts target immediate violence and its harms while addressing risk factors to reduce violence in a sustainable way over the long term. As policing oversight shifts, it is crucial to assess these community-driven initiatives. We co-lead a research team at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, studying the implementation of community-based violence intervention strategies and whether they're making an impact. We've observed meetings, interviewed key players, analyzed administrative data, and supported efforts to track outcomes and build accountability. Government-led initiatives often face public skepticism, and even good ideas can falter in execution. Yet St. Louis offers promising signs. Examples include the Office of Violence Prevention's collaborative relationships with both St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and community-based service organizations in its Community Violence Intervention; the business community's early commitment to supporting violence reduction that has since expanded to become the regional Save Lives Now! Initiative; and neighborhood residents working directly with city departments to address location-specific violence risks in the St. Louis Public Safety Collaborative. Additionally, the Violence Prevention Commission funds and coordinates youth events to create safer, supervised spaces. Each effort reflects recommended implementation practices and helps strengthen neighborhoods, build trust with police, and support economic growth. This collaboration is promising, but the ultimate goal of these initiatives is to reduce violence. Recent data offers cause for optimism there as well. An analysis of official crime incident data shows that from 2022 to 2024, homicides dropped by 25% and aggravated assaults with guns declined 26%. In the 11 neighborhoods where the Office of Violence Prevention first focused its efforts, those official numbers dropped by 42% and 31%, respectively, during the same period. While more work is needed to ensure that all members of the community feel safe, the results suggest that community-based resource mobilization combined with targeted policing can have an impact and these efforts should be expanded to other areas of the city struggling with violence. Public policy is full of examples of once-promising programs that ran out of funding or faded over time. St. Louis cannot afford to let that happen here. Violence shapes both how residents experience their communities and how outsiders perceive the city — affecting everything from quality of life to economic investment. Maintaining a comprehensive, collaborative strategy is essential but it requires continued support and resource allocation from local leaders and state officials coupled with advocacy and engagement from community residents and organizations. St. Louis has reached a point where it has a rare opportunity to redefine what public safety looks like — one that blends strategic policing with community-based initiatives. This has proven to be a blueprint for successful violence reduction in other cities and it has begun to improve conditions for the better in St. Louis. Even as changes unfold, the city must hold onto this momentum by leveraging the community's growing capacity to effectively respond to violence.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top takeaways from Mayor Mike Duggan's final State of the City address
Mayor Mike Duggan enchanted an energetic crowd at his final State of the City address inside the new Hudson's Detroit skyscraper, highlighting his administration's successes of confronting Detroit's dire issues over the last decade while reassuring Detroiters a promising future. Duggan distributed praises among residents, business leaders, Detroit's clergy community and politicians for helping the city emerge out of his hardships, particularly after the city filed for municipal bankruptcy before his taking office. In his 12 years as mayor, Detroiters have witnessed ample development and building restorations, crime reduction, eliminated abandoned housing and blight and restored recreation centers. But looming neighborhood issues remain, which Duggan cited as the city's "biggest battle" in the last 12 years. "I thought we could bring every neighborhood back. It was started by demolishing it at rates faster than anybody in the country," Duggan said, adding that since taking office, the city had 47,000 abandoned houses. Through a partnership with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which sold 15,000 houses and expects to have 1,000 by the end of the year, neighborhoods are expected to improve. Here are some takeaways from his speech: More: Mayor Mike Duggan drew Dan Gilbert, roaring audience for his final State of the City speech Many predicted a bleak future for Detroit when the city's unemployment rate reached nearly 20%, but Duggan attempted to maximize opportunities on the city's vacant land. Through his tenure, several manufacturers stepped in to develop facilities on those sites, which would open up hundreds or even thousands of jobs. These included several automotive companies and major businesses, such as Amazon, to anchor a business center at the old State Fairgrounds. Last June, Ford Motor Company restored and reopened the abandoned Michigan Central Station, a long-awaited development showcasing elaborate attention to details in its restoration. In 2014, Detroit was considered the "most violent city" as residents and police officers left. The city consistently boosted public safety by hiring more officers, providing them $10,000 in raises and advocated for Community Violence Intervention initiatives that have had a big affect on reducing neighborhood crime. Duggan said 99% of the police department's positions are filled to date. Duggan hailed a major drop in homicides in 2024, marking the lowest since 1969, and commended Community Violence Intervention initiatives like ShotStoppers for reducing gun violence in the city. Since taking office, Duggan was tasked with balancing the city's budget and growing revenues. In his latest budget address, he proposed several financial boosts across multiple departments, thanks to increased revenues from more income tax collections as people have moved back to the city — reversing a decades-long decline in population — and new business have opened. Funding homelessness initiatives to increase shelters and beds, hiring more Detroit Department of Transportation drivers and mechanics, buying new buses, and boosting public safety were among the investment priorities in his $3-billion budget proposal to Detroit City Council. Several investments include new parks and proposed projects, like bringing a multi-sports complex and an entertainment district to the riverfront. The mayor highlighted transforming what would have been a condominium complex on the East Riverfront into Gabriel Richard Park, paving the path to further developments along one of Detroit's most visited attractions. That includes Riverside Park on the west side of the riverfront, which was previously abandoned and closed, and rebuilding AB Ford Park on the east side, and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park at West Jefferson Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard. Plans to partially demolish two towers surrounding the Renaissance Center, Michigan's tallest building and an icon of Detroit's skyline, have been a subject across the city in a proposed effort to redevelop the riverfront. General Motors moved into the building in 2000 but recently announced it would move into Hudson's Detroit. Businessman Dan Gilbert's Bedrock firm and GM are partnering on a proposal to remove two of the RenCen five towers — those facing the riverfront — while the center hotel tower would remain as a hotel, the two remaining towers would be reconceived: one as an office tower and the other as apartments, which would include affordable housing units. The plan also calls for a quarter-mile park for an entertainment destination similar to Chicago's Navy Pier. Restoring the two towers proposed for demolition could be an option, but Duggan added it would be cheaper to build entirely new housing due to the building's layers of steel and concrete, which would require extra work to run plumbing and utilities. Despite mixed reviews about the RenCen proposal, Duggan promised better days ahead for Detroiters. "You're going to have more days like we had last April," Duggan said, referencing the 2024 NFL draft, which drew about 775,000 visitors, followed by celebrating "an even bigger event ... when the (NCAA) Final Four comes to Detroit," landing a grand applause and cheers from the audience. Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@ Follow her: @DanaAfana This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Top takeaways from Mayor Mike Duggan's 2025 State of the City address
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Yahoo
Family Resources director wins statewide award
DAVENPORT, Iowa – Family Resources Director of Community Violence Intervention, Tee LeShoure, has won the 2025 John and Kay Egan Memorial Victim Justice Award. In its 16th year, the Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance awards an Iowan who has volunteered time and energy to make a difference for crime victims. Nominees are considered for their contribution to victim rights beyond their job responsibilities. With her ability to bring together diverse stakeholders within the Quad City community, LeShoure has played a pivotal role in addressing violence. She has partnered with the Davenport Police Department and the City of Davenport to implement the Group Violence Intervention Strategy. In the last year, the GVI Strategy has resulted in a 56% decrease in shots fired and a 29% decrease in group gun related violence. 'Tee's work has not only reduced violence but also cultivated a sense of hope and resilience within our community,' said Nicole Cisne Durbin, Family Resources CEO. 'She inspires those around her to believe in the possibility of change and equips her team with the tools to make it happen. Her leadership reflects the highest ideals of the John and Kay Egan Award: compassion, innovation, and an unyielding commitment to empowering others.' Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel also supported LeShoure for the award. 'One remarkable example of her dedication occurred after a tragic shooting, where Tee went beyond emotional support to personally ensure the family's safety. She coordinated boarding up their home and arranged for their transition to safe housing,' said Chief Bladel. 'This extraordinary act exemplifies her commitment to addressing both the immediate and long-term needs of crime victims.' The Egan Award is in honor of John and Kay Egan who were activists for the rights and needs of violent crime victims. In 1999 the Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance established the award to honor their commitment to helping those who needed it most. The award is presented every year to an Iowan whose outstanding service to crime victims reflects and honors Egan's dedication. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
