Resolution 221540 Directs $8.9 million to Community-Based Organizations to Address Violence and Stop Cycles of Crime
MIAMI – The Miami-Dade Board of Commissioners today voted to approve a resolution addressing upticks in violence and aiming to stop cycles of crime. The resolution would allocate $8.9 million to the Carrie Meek Foundation, with over 90 percent of that funding being made available to community-based organizations. Eligible organizations would be focused on supporting gun violence victims, survivor advocacy, or specializing in high-risk intervention. $1.6 million is specifically meant to fund mental health and victim outreach services to address the widening gap in services provided to victims of gun violence.
The resolution has garnered the support of crime victims from across Miami-Dade, including Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ), which represents thousands of victims in Florida. CSSJ has advocated for survivor voices to be incorporated in public safety, and for approaches that prioritize rehabilitation and trauma support.
“One thing that has been made clear to me is the exceptional commitment that survivors of violence have demonstrated in Miami to ensure that what happened to them does not happen to anyone else,” said Subhash Kateel, Florida state director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice. “Miami Dade County has an opportunity to lead by example and be a model for what it means to invest in safety and center those with direct lived experience in creating better solutions to making all of us safe.”
“Receiving timely support and lifting up survivors during their greatest time of need will help stop cycles of trauma and help get their lives back on track,” said Trenise Bryant, Miami chapter co-coordinator for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. “We must tackle the root causes of crime. When organizations that are close to the community intervene to stop violence, or empower survivors to help them heal, it gives us the tools to make us all safer.”
“Through my own personal experience and in my professional life, I’ve seen how violence is born out of unaddressed trauma in underserved communities. They say hurt people hurt people. I believe healed people can also heal others and their communities. But that healing requires investment. We must commit ourselves to supporting the frontline providers and services that communities trust,” said Meghan Hobson, Miami chapter co-coordinator for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice.
“Violence affects more than just your body – it impacts your mental health, your emotional health, and your wellbeing for the rest of your life,” said Stedman Bailey, local member of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and former NFL player. “But when survivors have access to support – whether it’s mental health care, or other trauma services – it makes their recovery just a bit easier so they’re able to live their lives. Addressing trauma and violence at the community level is what is needed to stop cycles of crime and put an end to violence.”
“The citizens in this community – many of us survivors – and the various grassroots organizations in this county that have been doing the community violence prevention and intervention work are your neighbors. Our elected leaders have the power to provide the resources that are needed to help those who are impacted by senseless violence. This resolution will ensure that the work for a better Miami-Dade will continue,” said Denise Brown, local member of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and the founder of the RJT Foundation.
The full text of the resolution can be read here.
About the Alliance for Safety and Justice
The Alliance for Safety and Justice is a national organization that aims to win evidence-based new safety priorities in states across the country. It also brings together diverse crime survivors to advance policies that help communities most harmed by crime and violence, as part of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice – its national network of over 90,000 crime survivors with over 8000 members in Florida. For more information, visit: https://allianceforsafetyandjustice.org or https://cssj.org.
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