Columbia’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement details grants, outreach and new ‘Peacekeepers Academy’

Dr. Trevon Fordham, director of the City of Columbia’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, presented a quarterly update describing a rebrand, grant awards and a set of outreach and training initiatives the office is launching.

Fordham said the office’s name changed from the Office of Violent Crime Prevention to the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement to emphasize community partnership and to avoid confusion with law-enforcement functions. He said the office’s work rests on three pillars: research and strategic planning; training and development; and community engagement and outreach.

Fordham summarized funding the office has secured. He said the office received “just a little over $509,000” from the South Carolina opioid recovery fund for outreach work and that it has two Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grants — one in fiscal year 2023 focused on prevention and education and another in FY 2024 focused on training and evaluation. He also said parts of the office budget are currently funded from ARPA dollars that expire Dec. 30, 2026, and that other awards have later expiration dates tied to their grant terms.

The office has produced a short public-service campaign titled Together We Can Stop the Violence (two videos, together about four minutes) and Fordham said the office shows the videos at schools, churches and community events and pairs screenings with discussions and onsite service providers. He said the FY23 grant funded the PSA work and that the FY24 award will support development of a training “academy” — the Peacekeepers Academy — that will deliver certifications and national training brought into the city for local partners.

Fordham highlighted recent and upcoming events and partnerships: a mobile community outreach day planned for April 26 with Eau Claire Baptist Church, resource fairs and workforce development events, Narcan trainings and giveaways, Choose Peace Create Change youth programming tied to school partnerships, and events for Mental Health Awareness Month. He said the office has worked with community organizations to help them secure funding (he cited the South Carolina Philharmonic and Girl Get Up Society as examples) and that staff are compiling a digital resource bank and a weekly events “local link” for the public.

On the role of the office in prevention work, Fordham told the council that “some folks don't even feel safe leaving their own apartment,” and said that reframing the office’s name was driven in part by resident feedback that “neighborhood safety and engagement” is less intimidating and more inviting than previous terminology. He also said the office is coordinating with places of worship through a “4 Block Promise” initiative and that staff are working with faith leaders in priority neighborhoods to organize outreach and services.

Fordham said one benefit of the FY24 training funding is capacity-building: “we'll be doing training courses. We'll have national folks come in... we're working on a training academy that will be established,” he told the council. The Peacekeepers Academy is intended to create a roster of trained local organizations and individuals who can be partners in violence-intervention and prevention activities.

Ending: Fordham said the office will publish a monthly newsletter, continue to expand the digital resource bank and provide the council with follow-up materials on programs and grant timelines. Council and staff asked for a short one- or two-sentence summary of major programs so members can describe them to constituents; Fordham said staff will provide that.