Crime & Law
Violence Prevention Groups Sound the Alarm Over Funding Cuts: ‘We Are Trying to Sustain Communities’
With violent crime and homicides down in Chicago, anti-violence advocates said their work is more important than ever. However, recent federal funding cuts have created a domino effect on state and local budgets.
Violence prevention groups said they’re seeing a decrease in funding that’s already starting to have an impact on what they’re able to do.
“We recently got funding cuts, which literally took about 40% of my staff, and I’m down to 21 now,” said JaShawn Hill, executive director of Chicago Survivors, an organization that offers a range of free services to families impacted by violent deaths, from counseling to legal aid.
Chicago Survivors expected to receive $2 million in state funding, but the budget was cut to $1 million due to federal funding cuts affecting Illinois’ budget.
Chicago Survivors got its start in October 2009 after a mother lost her son to gun violence and realized there weren’t any services available tailored to the needs of homicide survivors. In 2015, the organization received its first grant, arming it with the ability to provide wraparound services including clinical services, trauma healing, criminal justice advocacy and youth programming.
“We are trying to sustain communities through healing practices,” Hill said. “Just knowing that, investing in that is going to be a part of the solution. We, too, are part of this big plan that our state has when it comes to responding to violence and community violence, and it should be taken into consideration when they’re making all their strategies to cure violence in the community.”
The organization also received notice from the city that $500,000 from ARPA funds will discontinue at the end of this year.
“We do more that will develop what I call post-traumatic growth, treating PTSD, helping people to really make meaning out of something that had made no sense, and finding other ways to manage their mental health and trauma and grief,” Hill said.
Other violence prevention groups are noticing impacts in their community due to a lack of opportunities provided for their youth. M.O.V.E. (Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere) works out of the North Lawndale and Garfield Park communities, organizing around housing, education, violence prevention and youth employment. However, this year the group was not able to provide jobs because of financial hardships.
“This is the first year in 15 years that we didn’t have jobs for youth, and we could see now how important it is,” said the Rev. Robin Hood, founder of M.O.V.E.
Last Sunday night, four teens were injured in a mass shooting that took place in West Garfield Park. Hood and other community members were on the scene after the incident.
“Just to see the fear on people’s faces on the porch,” Hood said. “Just the trauma that resulted from it. As far as I remember, there hasn’t been a shooting on this particular block in four to five years.”
Hood believes more financial support from the state would help the organization provide jobs and additional constructive programming for youth. Hood said he’s traveled to Springfield for 24 years trying to implore state officials for assistance to no avail.
State Sen. Lakiesha Collins (D-Chicago) said in a news conference Thursday when communities are intentionally disenfranchised it will take billions of dollars to rebuild them. Collins and Hood met with state and city officials and anti-violence groups to discuss strategies to address violence.
While next steps still remain unclear, advocates are determined to continue their efforts.
“We need our government officials,” Hill said. “We need philanthropic communities and people who believe in our mission to step in and to help leverage us, because if they don’t, we will not be able to provide the quality of care that we have been able to do.”
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
