INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday, Mayor Joe Hogsett and the Office of Public Health and Safety director announced three recipients of this year’s community-based violence prevention partnership grant.
The grant is designed to support local community organizations in new efforts to address the city’s ongoing violence. Each group received $100,000.
This year’s recipients are New Breed of Youth (New B.O.Y.) CEO Kareem Hines, Brightwood Community Center executive director Shonna Majors and VOICES executive director Kia Wells.
The partnership is on top of the $15 million in elevation grants given away over the summer.
“The contributions of grassroots, community-facing organizations are a sincere, valuable step toward reducing and preventing violence by wrapping around our community,” said OPHS director Lauren Rodriguez. “We know that as this partnership continues, our collaboration will build and expand on their impactful efforts.”
But are these programs and funding helping curb the city’s gun violence? Rodriguez said, without a doubt, “yes.”
Rodriguez stepped into the role in March 2021. It’s a position that’s not just important, but also personal for her.
“Growing up, I didn’t have any money. We grew up on food stamps and I was in a single-parent household. My father raised us,” said Rodriguez, who grew up on the city’s west side.
When Rodriguez first started at OPHS, they had about 12 full-time employees. Now there are more than 90 people and the budget has drastically increased.
OPHS focuses on five main public health areas: re-entry, housing and homelessness, food policy and nutrition, mental health and community violence reduction.
Rodriguez said her office acts as the bridge between the city and the community.
Even though her office focuses on many issues, recently gun violence has become a big priority. This month, the city officially passed 200 homicides for the third year in a row.
“It is daunting. It can be discouraging,” Rodriguez said.
At the same time, she said it’s motivation for her team to work harder and do more.
“Every life that has been impacted by gun violence is a life that I wish never had to be impacted that way and that goes for anyone - the shooter, the one being shot and the loved ones surrounding both of those individuals. That is something that motivates us to think about how we make it better,” she said.
One of the programs she has found impactful this year is the city’s peacemakers. The group works to connect with the community and intervene before violence can start.
“They are working in the background and in the shadows to make our community safer and to make it better,” Rodriguez said.
Her team is also working to partner with more school districts to work closely with the city’s youth. Right now, the team is in two high schools in Wayne and Washington townships. These mentors go to the schools two to three days a week and work with high-risk students.
“Schools are important because we see the ages of our victims getting younger. We see more young people being involved in situations and we want to get in front of that,” said Shardae Hoskins, program manager for violence reduction in the OPHS.
Despite the number of shootings and homicides this year, Rodriguez said the city is turning a corner, but like anything, she said it will take time.
“I’m not so optimistic that I literally think everyone is going to put their guns down,” she said. “But we are not going to stop. We are relentless in this fight.”
In 2021, Hogsett announced a comprehensive violence reduction plan using the $150 million in American Rescue Plan funds. The plan includes $45 million for grassroots violence prevention organizations, 50 peacemakers to engage with those at risk of becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence and $30 million for mental health resources.