The Department of Justice will give $1.5 million to the City of Baltimore in an effort to ramp up the city’s violence prevention efforts.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was flanked by both Justice Department and Health and Human Services officials Wednesday announcing the grants.
There have been more than 280 homicides in Baltimore so far this year, according to numerous news reports. The city has also been thrust into the national spotlight since the death of Freddie Gray spiked protests last spring.
“They [the grants] will help further the fight against violent crimes, particularly among youth,” Rawlings-Blake said, adding that local law enforcement will “not arrest” their way out of the spike in crime.
Some of the money will be going to the Safe Streets pilot program, which will become the city’s fifth. The program aims to cut down on homicides and gun violence by having ex-offenders from each specific community work as outreach workers to help diffuse situations.
The Justice Department will also launch a new three-year project to address trauma among male survivors of violence.
“This is especially critical as young men are the group most likely to be victims of violence, the least likely to receive appropriate services and untreated trauma can leave long-lasting damage on a young person’s development and future behavior,” Justice Department’s Robert Listenbee said at the press conference.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention also will grant money to the National Forum on Youth Violence to study school environments in Baltimore and help cut down on youth violence.
Regional Director for HHS Joanne Grossi added that youth violence has both a human toll and a monetary toll.
Annually nationwide, youth violence and subsequent injuries are responsible for roughly $16 billion in medical and work-loss costs, she said.
“Just like the flu or another infectious disease, violence is contagious,” City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said. “But just like another disease, we can also prevent and treat violence using evidence and science.”
Demaune Millard, COO of Family League of Baltimore, an area nonprofit that works with the community empowerment in various ways, expressed his support for the grants.
“This money will continue us on the path we’re taking to address the issues in the area as it relates to youth violence, starting at the very beginning,” he said, stressing how important empowerment at the early childhood time is for Baltimore families and communities.
The money will continue to help us in the effort to “change the culture” and will “open the door for us to leverage more opportunities in various sectors,” he said.
