Heal-The-Violence Program Engages Young NYCHA Residents
Heal-the-Violence is a new $720,000 violence prevention program that will train young people at 24 NYCHA developments to develop solutions for curbing violence. It is funded through a larger $2 million grant provided by the City.
“A [pandemic] recovery for all of us is rooted in public safety, and one central way to keep our city safe is by uplifting our young people,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “NYCHA’s innovative Heal-the-Violence program will reach young people where they are and create a safer future for our neighborhoods.”
Heal-the-Violence will target young people ages 14-24. Young people selected to participate in the program must live at one of the participating NYCHA developments across the five boroughs and are eligible to receive up to $150 for their participation, with designated youth leaders eligible for $300.
Participating developments are:
- Bronx: Bronx River, Castle Hill, Forest, Jackson, Marble Hill, McKinley, Sack Wern
- Brooklyn: Breukelen, Marcy, Penn-Wortman, Sheepshead Bay, Tompkins, Williamsburg
- Manhattan: Douglass, Jefferson, King, Rutgers, Wagner, Wald, Wilson
- Queens: Queensbridge, Ravenswood, Woodside
- Staten Island: Stapleton
“NYCHA is committed to taking a holistic approach towards public safety that’s predicated on providing our young people with expanded programming, public space improvements, and robust engagement, said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “We are grateful to the Mayor’s Office for joining with us to develop new approaches for addressing this vital issue.”
Selected partners will host onsite activities such as workshops and classes one to two times per week that involve techniques such as healing circles, asset mapping, conflict mediation, and other prevention-based responses. NYCHA sought applications from anti-violence providers, including those in the New York City Crisis Management System: a network that deploys teams of credible messengers who mediate conflicts on the street and connect high-risk individuals to services that can reduce the long-term risk of violence. According to the New York City Office to Prevent Gun Violence, the Crisis Management System helped contribute to a 40 percent reduction in shootings across program areas – compared to a 31 percent reduction in comparison sites – from 2010 to 2019.
“Young people living in underserved and under-resourced public housing communities are especially impacted by traumatic violence, and this program is designed to center their voices in finding meaningful solutions for creating safer neighborhoods,” said NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships Sideya Sherman and Executive Director for the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. “Heal-the-Violence is one of several long-term strategies that will support community health, security, and opportunity at NYCHA campuses.”
The program follows the large-scale renovation of more than a dozen basketball courts at NYCHA developments earlier this year, and the roll-out of a youth basketball league organized in partnership with the New York Knicks and NYPD that concluded this past month.
Featured image: A Williamsburg Houses building.