Shelby County officials outline Joint Office violence-intervention work and warn of federal, state funding cuts

Shelby County and city officials, community violence intervention providers and the Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement discussed efforts to intervene with people at high risk of gun violence and warned that pending federal and state funding cuts could undermine those programs.

The discussion, held during a county committee meeting, focused on the Joint Office’s role in coordinating outreach, the Safer Memphis 365 convening that brings community stakeholders together, the documentation challenges faced by outreach workers and recent notices that several grants may be reduced or canceled.

The Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement “is trying to bring more resources to bear, especially in the area of people that we engage … who are victims of violent crime or may be on the verge of some type of retaliation,” said Mr. Goods, who the committee identified as the city’s public safety advisor. “One of my primary job functions is just to kind of figure that out. How do we more engage our most highest at risk people?”

The meeting included a report on…