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Commissioner Koger outlines $150,000 trauma-response pilot and $250,000 for youth programs
Summary
Commissioner Koger told the Public Safety Committee the Third Ward Equity Fund proposes a $150,000 trauma or psychological emergency response pilot and $250,000 for the Grow 1000 summer jobs and violence-prevention program; the ideas are tentative and not yet drafted.
Commissioner Koger told the committee that the Third Ward Equity Fund has proposed setting aside $150,000 for a trauma or psychological emergency response pilot and $250,000 for youth violence-prevention work, including the Grow 1000 summer employment program.
"So once we have the shooter, once GRPD does their role, like, what does it look like afterwards to say the city of Grand Rapids has had a collective shared trauma. Now what?" Koger asked, framing the trauma-response pilot as a follow-up support the city needs to develop.
Koger said the fund’s proposals are tentative and not yet drafted; staff and commissioners will continue to develop specifics. He described the $150,000 allotment as an investment intended to supplement counseling and other post-incident services already available.
The commissioner also said the commission set aside $250,000 for Grow 1000, a program that provides summer employment and targets residents ages 15 to 24. Staff and other committee members said the program and additional community programming are part of a broader violence-prevention strategy that complements police patrols and enforcement.
No formal ordinance or budget appropriation was finalized at the meeting; Koger described the proposal as part of an equity fund the commission is still shaping.
