A local violence prevention group is calling for more staff and resources following the shooting deaths of three Halifax-area men last week.
“It is a call for more resources,” CeaseFire Halifax program manager Mel Lucas said.
Three outreach workers alongside three violence interrupters work on the ground in four Halifax-area neighbourhoods. The teams work to prevent violence through mediation and mentorship with at-risk youth and also try to break the cycle of violence for people already caught up in it.
Having fewer than two staff per targeted area is low compared to the seven violence interrupters that usually work as a team in other cities with similar programs, Lucas said. Baltimore, Chicago, and London all have more staff on the ground and even if you account for population size, Lucas said Halifax doesn’t have enough.
When it launched in 2014, CeaseFire was the first program of its kind in Canada. At the time the federal government committed $2.1 million to the program over three years. The provincial government is giving roughly $420,000 in financial and in-kind support in the same time period and the municipal government is also giving in-kind support.
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In the last few years, gun violence has been on the decline in Halifax. The provincial government and CeaseFire both attribute the decline in part to the program.
From 2013-2015, Lucas says the number of shootings in CeaseFire’s target areas went from 11 to four.
“I sincerely believe that CeaseFire has done its part in helping that reduction happen,” Lucas said.
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Justice Minister Diana Whalen agrees with that assessment, telling reporters Thursday “we believe CeaseFire has played a role” in the declining numbers.
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Following the recent spike in shootings, Whalen held meetings with the police force and Mayor Mike Savage on Wednesday. She met with Lucas Thursday afternoon but said it’s too early to say whether the province would give CeaseFire more funding.
“I need to hear first-hand from them what the situation is and how they are coping and what they need,” Whalen said. “I’m willing to certainly talk to them and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Last week Daverico Downey, Tyler Richards and Naricho Clayton were all killed. The deaths mean CeaseFire staff have been working flat out while also dealing with the deaths of the three men, who many of them knew.
“If you’re not related to them, you know them. Or you know somebody who knows them or is related to them. And so that makes it extremely tough,” Lucas said.
Setting aside the question of additional staff for CeaseFire, the federal and provincial governments also haven’t given a clear commitment to extend the program’s core funding after it ends in 2017.
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