$10 Million in Violence Prevention Grants Awarded to Communities Statewide from the Wisconsin Community Safety Fund

MILWAUKEE, June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has announced the 10 communities and organizations receiving $10.4 million in grant funding from the Wisconsin Community Safety Fund (WCSF) to aid in reducing violence stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The WCSF was created to support evidence-based activities that enhance the safety and wellbeing of children, youth, and families throughout Wisconsin.

To increase community capacity for violence prevention, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers allocated a portion of the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars received by the state to fund these grants. State and local governments were encouraged to invest ARPA funds in addressing increased levels of gun violence, suicide, and intimate partner violence since the start of the pandemic.

"Violence and its effects on kids, families, and communities are not inevitable, and I was glad to allocate these funds to further our work to prevent violence, interrupt the cycle of violence, and address this issue like the public health crisis it is," said Gov. Evers. "From local municipalities, Tribal lands, and health systems, these funds will help address the root causes of violence and support community-based solutions, building healthier, safer communities for all."

"By investing in proven violence prevention strategies, we're investing in a future that's healthy and safe for everyone. We wish to thank the state of Wisconsin for recognizing violence as a public health crisis and funding this life-saving work," said Terri A. deRoon Cassini, PhD, MS, director of the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The 10 communities selected:

• Alma Center in Milwaukee will design a statewide online and phone intervention and prevention program.
• City of Green Bay will create an Office of Violence Prevention to address increased gun violence.
• City of Kenosha will establish the Key Emerging Leaders Academy to engage youth at highest risk for experiencing or engaging in community violence.
• City of Racine will establish an Office of Violence Prevention and develop a gun violence intervention plan.
• Gundersen Health System will expand its Crime Victim Services (CVS) unit to address increasingly complex needs related to sexual, intimate partner, and gender-based violence; and increase capacity for culturally responsive and equitable care in a six-county area.
• Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin will increase coordination to expand prevention, education, and outreach strategies to specific priority populations.
• Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin will expand services that prevent and respond to sexual assault using culturally specific outreach.
• Southeast Asian Healing Center in Madison will address increased suicide risk and gender-based violence using culturally specific strategies.
• University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics will expand their Violence Intervention Program and conduct an analysis to identify strategies to address prevention, reduction, and response to gun violence.
• United Way of the Fox Cities' DRIVE Health Project addresses unmet mental/emotional needs and suicide risk factors in the Hmong, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx communities through Community Health Workers, a peer support phoneline, and mental health literacy and anti-stigma education campaigns.

For more information, access the full announcement here.

SOURCE Medical College of Wisconsin