LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A 3-year grant worth $1.8 million through the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods will be invested in the Newburg neighborhood to curb gun violence.
The money will go towards funding a program manager and an outreach worker, providing gang intervention and training.
Director Paul Callanan said it was time to expand it's services to Newburg.
"How we can develop a sustainable, comprehensive approach to gun violence specifically in that neighborhood, utilizing the current assets, adding, using some of the dollars to add new programs," he said.
Newburg will be home to the the sixth site of what the city calls an 'interruption site'. It aims to prevent gun violence before it happens.
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Through this funding, Newburg community members and stakeholders will work together to develop programs to reduce gun violence.
So far, there are interruption sites in the Portland, Shawnee, California, Russell and Smoketown neighborhoods.
"Chasing shootings in a sense of a shooting occurs and you're trying to get out to prevent the retaliation and I think we're doing a fairly good job in that area, looking at the numbers were tracking," Callanan said.
He said the city is down roughly 35% in shootings.
Louisville Metro Council approved another $250,000 for a secondary prevention program for youth between the ages of 10-14.
"These are kids that will probably not go to the Boys and Girls Club, or the recs center, so this money allows us to take a look across the city of who's best to serve this small population," said Callanan.
During Metro Council's Public Safety Committee meeting, some members shared they were pleased with the work OSHN has done so far.
"It's good to know that you will have a dedicated position for that person to be working with them," Councilmember Shameka Parrish-Wright said.
Overall, OSHN looks forward to working closely with the Newburg neighborhood to prevent gun violence.
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