City of Akron, OH

10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 12:16

Mayor Malik and Partners Prepare to Launch Street Team Pilot Program

Akron, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2024 - Today, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik is announcing additional details of the Akron Street Team Pilot Program - a violence intervention priority for this administration in which credible messengers will work to prevent violence before it happens. Akron is announcing a partnership with Minority Behavioral Health Group (MBHG) to hire, train, and cultivate the street team who will interact directly with residents deemed to be at-risk for violence to help deescalate conflict. The pilot program has been put together with technical assistance and training from the Rehoboth Project and their founder, Juard Barnes, and will also involve an evaluation process to determine future growth of the program. The pilot is being developed from a public health approach blending elements of street outreach, violence interruption, case management, community navigation, mental health, and data analysis.

"I'm excited to get the Street Team Pilot Program up and running as we work together with our community and partners to cut down on gun violence in our city," said Mayor Malik. "This past weekend, our city yet again felt the impacts of senseless gun violence as we lost three residents in separate shooting incidents. As our Akron Police Department works diligently to solve these crimes, we are also looking to address violence like this before it happens. With the Street Team Pilot Program, we are aiming to take a proactive approach to addressing gun violence, in addition to holding violent offenders accountable for their actions. Programs like these are becoming a growing trend across the nation due to their positive results and I'm looking forward to seeing how this approach can work here in Akron."

The Akron Street Team is being constructed based on the Cure Violence/Street Outreach Model. Cure Violence is a street outreach methodology that treats violence like a disease, theorizing that it is possible to "stop the spread" through interruption. Evaluations have shown highly promising results, with benefits being a reduction in shootings between 40% to 70%, as well as increased employment opportunities and improved citizen-police relationships.

The pilot period will run for 18 months. Hiring and on-boarding of all members of the street team pilot is beginning now and all members will be hired, vetted, and employed by MBHG.

"We are delighted to partner with the City of Akron and various community agencies in the Credible Messengers initiative, adding another essential layer to address the pressing issue of safety and reduce violence in our neighborhoods," said CEO of Minority Behavior Health Group, Pastor Jeffrey Dennis. "This collaboration is a powerful opportunity to bring together expertise and resources, focusing on prevention, intervention, and impactful solutions. By building a network of support and equipping individuals with the skills and certifications needed, we are committed to creating a safer Akron, where every community member feels empowered, supported, and connected. We realize change will not happen overnight, but our commitment through collaboration is to stay consistent, doing our part to make our communities safer places."

The Akron Street Team will blend elements of treating violence as a public health issue with community-based violence intervention strategies. The major roles or duties of the Street Team include the following:

  • Street Outreach -Individuals with lived experience (credible messengers) who are trusted in the community and can mediate conflict
  • Violence Interruption- trained personnel to identify and intervene in conflicts before they escalate
  • Case Management-professionals to provide ongoing support and connect individuals with services
  • Community Navigation-residents trained to serve as liaisons between the community and service providers.

The city anticipates the street team will consist of 3 credible messengers that will perform the various roles outlines above. Additionally, a mental health clinician will work directly with the street team to avoid burnout and re-traumatization and provide services to those individuals in the community impacted by gun violence.

The Rehoboth Project will provide intervention and outreach training for the credible messengers as well as training on data collection and documentation to the street team and MBHG. They also created job descriptions for the roles and will work with the City and MBHG to create a research plan that includes identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and data collection methods.

"Credible messengers bring significant lived experience to leverage their roles as peacemakers," said Public Safety Strategist Tony Ingram. "They engage those at highest risk of being injured or producing violence and they provide a proactive, culturally competent, and coordinated health response alongside traditional law enforcement responses to violence. Many cities across the country that have implemented credible messenger programs have seen a reduction in gun crime. I believe the same can happen in Akron."

Earlier this week, Akron City Council passed legislation authorizing the partnership with MBHG at a cost of $185,000 which will be used to hire and train the street team. Throughout the 18-month pilot program, the city and MBHG will evaluate the effectiveness of the program and determine next steps at the end of the pilot.