Help is on the way to seven community-based organizations across the state working to put a stop to gun violence. Each organization will get more than $88,330 a year for three years.
The American Rescue Act funds come from the state legislature’s Commission on Community Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention. They are being distributed by the State Department of Health.
In Hartford, COMPASS Youth Collaborative plans to enlist a community health worker who will help gunshot wound victims at the hospital. They already have some of these interventionists at work.
“They’re meeting that person bedside, at the time when they are the most scared, when they're the most vulnerable. When there's possibly thoughts of retaliation, worries about whether they'll survive, the impact it's having on their families,” Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario, CEO of the COMPASS Youth Collaborative, said.
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Also in Hartford, Roca will use the money to support 100 young moms they serve between the ages of 14 and 24.
“They are at high risk of being injured, or having a child or family member injured by gun violence,” Sunindiya Bhalla, Roca Women and 2Gen executive vice president, said. “Over 50% of the young women we work with are directly impacted by gun violence over the past two years.”
For The Justice Education Center in West Hartford, the grant means officially launching “Project Moo” after a pilot last year. The program will give kids ages nine to 14 the chance to work on a farm every Saturday for 30 weeks.
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“When kids are around a great deal of violence, it produces a level of trauma that's horrific,” Sherry Haller, Justice Education Center executive director, said. “If we're able to be blessed with funds to allow these kids, enable these kids to see other opportunities, then I think it provides hope.”
The other community-based organizations receiving the grant funding are Connecticut Violence Intervention and Prevention (CTVIP) in New Haven, Greater Bridgeport Area Prevention Program (BGAPP), Career Resources Inc. and Hang Time in Bridgeport and Ledge Light Health District in New London.
Dr. Jody Terranova, deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said these causes are urgent, after gun-related homicides in Connecticut increased by 36% during the early years of the pandemic, according to DPH.
“Really, gun violence as a public health issue is something new. In our arena, we think about public health, more about diseases, and not necessarily about gun violence. But really, this type of injury is something that we can work to prevent,” Dr. Terranova said.
The DPH is launching a brand new office in January that will specifically focus on preventing gunshot violence. They are hiring staff for that unit right now.
