Latest news with #OfficeofViolencePrevention
Axios
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Axios
New anti-violence program uses education to solve conflict
Columbus is launching a new city program to take a more holistic approach to reducing community violence. Why it matters: Safer Together 614 aims to curb conflict including gun violence, which Mayor Andrew Ginther declared a Columbus public health crisis in 2022. Driving the news: The program is the newest initiative of Columbus' Office of Violence Prevention. OVP director Rena Shak tells Axios that 30% of local homicides in 2024 were due to unresolved conflicts or arguments. She suspects that percentage may be even higher with assaults and domestic violence. What they're doing: Informed by that research and community feedback, the program will distribute toolkits that educate on bystander intervention and resolving day-to-day conflicts. Topics include red flags in relationships and de-escalation tactics, and will be tailored to any age group (from 5-year-olds to adults). Toolkits are paired with community conversations led by OVP staff members in schools, churches and other community spaces. Although the OVP may partner with police departments, the program is not police-driven. Flashback: The OVP was created in 2023 to collect data, educate the public and make policy recommendations. What they're saying:"We're advising the mayor's office, oftentimes city council, when it comes to things like gun violence, group violence — which is what we call gangs now — and things like domestic violence," Shak tells Axios. Between the lines: Although people with criminal backgrounds can be experts in gangs and communities at risk of violence, Shak says local organizations are not always able to bring them on staff because of their felony records. But she's proud that Columbus has allowed her to hire them as full-time staff whose services are "invaluable" to work on the ground. Her staff has grown from one to 21 since 2023. The big picture: Tuesday is National Night Out, a police-organized annual event aimed at safer neighborhoods. Shak hopes Safer Together 614 can make an impact year-round and "continues in perpetuity." "We recognize that the community doesn't need another event where we show up and then there's no real follow-up," she says. "This is very intentionally meant to fill a gap that our community was telling us existed and that is proven to impact prevention numbers."
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Columbus OKs funding to fight domestic violence
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus City Council has authorized funding to help a program city leaders said is vital in the fight against domestic violence. Monday, the city council authorized $345,130 from the general fund to keep the Advocacy Crisis Team for Domestic Violence (ACT-DV), a partnership between Columbus police and Nationwide Children's Hospital's Center of Family Safety and Healing. City leaders hope the money will help expand the program. How ACT-DV works is when police respond to a domestic violence situation, they will call advocates with Nationwide Children's Hospital to the scene to focus on the victims. 'When surveyed officers shared their confidence in ACT-DV and saying the partnership provides a better response in producing results for victims than other programs,' Dr. Joanne Lunceford, deputy director of the Office of Violence Prevention, said at Monday's Columbus City Council meeting. This allows the Office of Violence Prevention to enter a one-year contract with the center. The money will keep the partnership going between the police department and the hospital instead of having to outsource for advocates. 'Expanding ACT-DV services would provide the opportunity to continue building trust and safe options for some of our most vulnerable community members,' Lunceford said. At Monday's meeting, Lunceford said the hope is to bring on more advocates, having one for each police zone. ACT-DV started as a pilot program in 2023. Nationwide said it expanded in 2024 and is now fully available in two zones of the city, but can be available in all areas if called. Once the scene is secured, advocates will arrive. This frees police to focus on the investigation while the advocate can focus on helping the victim. 'Our goal is to get out to make sure that person feels grounded at a very chaotic and confusing time, then we work alongside officers knowing we have a different role,' Amber Howell, a clinical supervisor for the Center for Family Safety and Healing, said. City leaders declared domestic violence an emergency, saying the program has been extremely helpful but noting difficulties with staffing. The ordinance will officially take effect once signed by Mayor Andrew Ginther. The team responded to more than 220 calls in 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Columbus continues fight to slow violence in the city
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The City of Columbus' Office of Violence Prevention will be investing nearly $4 million throughout the rest of the year in key areas helping to slow violence. Leaders said the focus is on intervening in the violence cycle before it happens. Office of Violence Prevention Director Rena Shak said the office picked where to make these investments through research and community feedback, with the biggest chunks of money going toward fighting domestic violence and making more grant opportunities for community-based organizations. Poisonous plant rapidly spreading across Ohio: what to do if you see it Shak said the organization wants to make sure people are aware of the domestic violence resources available to help. She said research shows that domestic violence has increased recently in Columbus. 'What I think a lot of people find surprising is that the majority of the victims are not female and the majority is not intimate partner violence,' Shak said. 'We do have those instances and of course they are very high lethality. I think when we generally think about domestic violence, that's where our minds immediately go to is a female victim and it being intimate partner, so meaning spousal or boyfriend, girlfriend, things like that. But what we're finding is that, actually, the majority of our homicides in 2025 are more familial violence, so I know that there was a tragic situation with a father and son.' Shak said the office will also be launching a new violence prevention education campaign in June called Safer Together 614. She said this focuses on conversations between youth and adults about conflict resolution and healthy relationships. The last area of investment is under the Columbus Violence Reduction strategy and it is about intervention. They are expanding their intervention program to add more life coaches and mentors. 'Right now, that program is doing an amazing job at stabilizing individuals with their emergency needs, so when we're asking individuals to trust us to take on the resources that we're providing in order to make a change for the better in their lives and step away from gang violence, step away from gun violence,' Shak said. 'We're looking at that program and how we can expand, so this life coaching and mentoring piece will be a 12-to-18-month program where we will be providing trained professionals to walk alongside our participants.' Columbus principal's confrontation with officer did not violate policy, district says Sean Smith is the intervention manager for Columbus Violence Reduction, which was moved under the Office of Violence Prevention this year from the Department of Public Safety. Smith runs a program that works with people who are involved in crime or who have gang ties. 'I think, at the end of the day, these are people who care about their community, who they identify to be their community, and sometimes circumstance and life situations cause them to engage in behaviors that aren't always accepted,' Smith said. Smith said that when he was a teenager, he got in some trouble but made the choice to turn his life around, as did the other intervention specialists. 'They five, ten, 15 years ago could have been a participant in CVR had the program been around, so they have what we call lived experience,' Smith said. He said the funding will really help their mission. Bexley Library patrons compete for limited digital access amid increased demand 'I think the immediate way in which you can kind of see some of the benefits are in the opportunities, the resources that are being provided to the participants,' Smith said. 'One of the bigger things that I know director Shak has really been pushing lately is trying to assist with getting some of our participants who are qualified and who are prepared, maybe opportunities working with the city or some, you know, some good paying opportunities for them.' Shak said the city's year-to-date homicide rate is the lowest it's been since 2013. She hopes these investments will keep the downward trend going. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Victor Saunders, Rochester's advisor for violence prevention, passes away
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Victor Saunders, an advisor for violence prevention for the City of Rochester, has passed away. Mayor Evans announced his passing on Friday morning, saying he was there to spend Saunders' final moments with him and his family. Saunders was known to Rochester for helping to launch the Office of Violence Prevention, the Rochester Peace Collective, and for helping expand Pathways to Peace. A few years ago, Saunders led a coalition of anti-violence programs. In part, the mayor said in his statement that Saunders was one of his closest advisors and a friend to the city: 'Our community has lost a committed public servant who dedicated his life to the cause of peace and community uplift. He lived his life modeling the words of the great hymn, 'May the Works I've Done Speak for Me.' Victor has done great works, and my thoughts and prayers are with his wonderful family, friends and colleagues who loved him so.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stop the Violence March and Rally held in Jackson
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade and the Office of Violence Prevention hosted a Stop the Violence March and Rally on April 26. Officials said violence among Jackson's youth has been at an all-time high. Keisha Coleman, executive director of the Office of Violence Prevention, said that amplifying the voices of the youth within the community is important for conveying the message that violence is not okay. 'I like to say a youth who does not feel embraced by the village will burn it down to feel it's warmth. And so, that's our motive. That's our goal. To embrace our youth, to know that they are cared for and that we want to see this village grow. We want to see this village thrive,' said Coleman. John Knight, with Living With Purpose, said community is important for reducing crime and appealing to the younger generation. 'We have to get out and educate our neighbors and our community about why public safety is so important and why it takes more than just a couple of organizations and a couple of police officers to take everybody to care about the youth neighborhoods, the grandmothers, the aunts, the uncles and everybody,' he said. 'We have got to save this generation. There are better ways to mitigate conflict without resorting to gun violence,' said Wade. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
