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Cure Violence leaders point to multi-year declines in target-area violence and urge sustainable funding
Summary
Presenters told the committee Cure Violence Grand Rapids has produced measurable reductions in violent crime in its original target area, citing research showing a roughly 35% drop in aggravated assaults and a 33⅓% drop in murders; they said the program now needs about $1 million a year and asked the city and partners to help close a funding gap.
Cure Violence Grand Rapids staff and partners reported to the Public Safety Committee that three years of street-level intervention and outreach correspond with measurable declines in violent crime in the program’s original target area.
Why it matters: presenters argued the model — which treats violence like a public-health contagion, deploys violence interrupters and outreach specialists, and connects high-risk individuals to services — is producing both quantitative and qualitative improvements but requires stable funding to sustain and expand to two additional wards.
What presenters said: Rich Griffin, site director, summarized program outputs: roughly 2,000 interactions leading to interruptions of violence, 279 interactions that identified and connected high-risk individuals to services, and 374 mediations tied to conflict resolution. Dr. Stephen Wirse, a retired Grand Valley researcher working with the program, reported a 35.303% decrease in aggravated assaults and a 33⅓% decrease in murders in the original target area over about 33 months; combining measures, he described an overall decrease of about two-thirds in violent incidents over that period.
Funding and sustainability: presenters said the Urban League and other partners have fundraised significantly but that the annual operating cost to run Cure Violence at scale is about $1,000,000–$1,070,000. The city committed $250,000 for the current fiscal year; presenters said they are still seeking roughly $750,000 to $820,000 in additional funds and have applied for federal and state grants, though earlier rounds awarded many resources elsewhere. The committee asked whether the program can track outcomes to specific individuals and whether seized guns can be traced to program participants; presenters said there is not yet a tracking mechanism to link gun seizures directly to individuals served by Cure Violence, though they reported anecdotal correlation.
Next steps and questions: commissioners encouraged continued expansion to the 1st and 2nd wards but pressed on long-term funding, grant applications, staff capacity (program personnel about 14 at full staff), and how the city and philanthropic partners will sustain interventions. Program staff said they will follow up with grant names and further financial detail.
