The Rapid Recap host said the fiscal committee approved a $750,000 agreement to fund the Cure Violence Program’s fifth year after leaders from the Urban League of West Michigan shared their annual report.
According to the Urban League representatives, the program — which uses a public-health approach focused on early intervention, conflict mediation and connecting high-risk individuals to jobs, housing and education — recorded more than 4,200 interventions over the past year and supported 127 high-risk individuals. The hosts’ recap attributed to the Urban League a reported 37 percent reduction in aggravated assaults and an 86 percent reduction in homicides in targeted areas.
The funding decision was described in the recap as an agreement approved by the fiscal committee; no formal vote tally was provided in the broadcast. The host did not identify individual commissioners or provide mover/second names for the approval.
Program leaders and the fiscal committee framed Cure Violence as a prevention-oriented public-safety investment rather than a traditional law-enforcement measure. The recap did not include details about how the city's $750,000 commitment will be allocated across staffing, contracts or services, nor did it provide independent verification of the reported outcome statistics.
The recap offered no timeline for next steps beyond noting the fiscal committee’s approval and the program entering a fifth funded year.