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Florida Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Celebrate 2.5 Million Dollar Investment for Community Violence Intervention and Grant Program in State Budget

6.14.2024

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement celebrating the allocation of 2.5 million dollars towards community violence intervention and grant programing for the Sunshine State.

These grants will allow the increased support, the development and delivery of intervention based strategies to interrupt cycles of violence, reinjury, and retaliation; and support programs that seek to reduce violence among individuals who have the highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence in the near future.

“This is a moment to celebrate. As gun violence continues to impact all Floridians, today’s announcement that the state will provide funding for critical community violence intervention programs is a crucial step forward,” said Jennifer Massey, a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Community violence intervention programs provide life-saving services to at-risk communities and help to stop the cycle of violence. A future free from gun violence is possible, and investments like this are exactly how we can end gun violence once and for all.”

Street outreach programs have been shown to reduce shooting victimizations and gun injuries. An evaluation of Cure Violence in the South Bronx found that program implementation was associated with significant declines in gun injuries (-37%) and shooting victimizations (-63%), compared to a matched neighborhood. 

Hospital-based violence intervention programs are associated with decreases in violence, crime and reinjury rates. San Francisco’s hospital-based program, the Wraparound Project, demonstrated a six-year violent reinjury rate of 4.9% among participating patients, compared to an 8.4% rate among a historical control group of violently injured patients prior to the program’s implementation.

In an average year, 3,038 people die by guns. With a rate of 13.5 deaths per 100,000 people, Florida has the 29th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. Gun violence costs Florida $40.3 billion each year, of which $875.9 million is paid by taxpayers.More information on gun violence in Florida is available here.