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May 2022 Newsletter
 Two, despicable mass shootings in the past two weeks has again stolen the sense of security for anyone wondering how they can trust every day spaces - a supermarket and an elementary school. The hate-crime that occurred in Buffalo is tragically reminiscent of an act many in Louisville are still affected by - leading to feeling trapped, cornered, and anxious any time they shop. The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods offers Race-based Trauma counseling, regardless of insurance coverage, for residents in South and West Louisville. Learn more about these services here.
RFA Released for Community Violence Intervention Sites
The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) is seeking proposals from Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) interested in operating Community Violence Intervention (CVI) sites within specific neighborhoods that are burdened with high rates of gun violence. The sites will implement the Cure Violence Global Model for violence intervention, which employs local, credible individuals who have deep ties within the neighborhoods, and trusted relationships with individuals who have been placed at highest risk for perpetrating or being victimized by violence.
CVI is part of OSHN’s community outreach initiative, Pivot to Peace, that deploys a public health approach to gun violence reduction by decreasing risk factors for violence and increasing access to opportunities that protect against violence.
OSHN is making $1.8 million of American Rescue Funds available to support community-based organizations to implement the Community Violence Intervention program in four new target areas. OSHN may award up to $450,000.00 per project. Projects supported with funds from this solicitation must implement the Cure Violence model, including the utilization of Violence Interventionist and Outreach Workers to disrupt cycles of retaliatory violence. Projects must also implement social norming and health education campaigns, focused on shifting norms of violence within the community.
Organizations may apply to implement the program in one or more target areas. Separate applications are required for each target area. The target areas are: Shawnee, Russell, California, Parkhill, Parkland, Park Duvall, Chickasaw, and Newburg. Proposals will be accepted until 3 p.m. on June 17, 2022
Learn more and submit an application here.
Upcoming Events
Ambassador Training
The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) would like to invite you to be a part of the next One Love Louisville Ambassador Training! This is an opportunity for citizens to learn about Louisville's Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan. Topics that will be covered include The Public Health Approach to Violence, Stop the Bleed, Conflict Resolution, Mental Health 101, Domestic Violence Awareness, and Community Organizing.
Join us on Saturday July 9th from 9AM-2PM. This will be an in-person event held at the Chestnut Street Family YMCA, 930 West Chestnut Street. Lunch will be served!
Contact jacob.hazel@louisvilleky.gov for questions.
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Unity In The Community - Summer Youth Basketball League
You are invited to join the 1st annual "Unity In The Community" basketball league, which will take place in Algonquin Park. This opportunity is presented by FreshXchange Mentorship Academy in partnership with the Russell Community Mobilization Initiative. This FREE event is open to those 10-15 years of age. This event was created to engage youth, and promote a summer safe initiative, giving youth in our community a great opportunity to be involved in extra curricular activities. The league will take place from June 11th - July 30th, on Saturday's, and start times for individual teams will vary. To signup call Noel Langdon at 502-953-9295.
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Victory Summit
The Victory Summit is a one-day gathering for daughters who have lost their fathers to gun violence. This year's Victory Summit will be held on June 11 from 10am-2pm at Story Louisville, 900 East Main Street. Summit highlights include on-site 1:1 counseling sessions, workshops, and a panel. A breakfast bar will be available.
Daughters of Victory is a fellowship of women who have lost their fathers to gun violence. It exists to equip women with actionable support after loss with a focus on wellness, education, and community.
To learn more about the Victory Summit, or the work of Daughters of Victory, contact win@victoryishere.co
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Online Reading and Learning
With limited trainings and in-person gatherings, below are some interesting learning opportunities to continue to grow and develop our collective understanding of violence.
 One Bullet Can Kill, but It Takes More Than 100 People To Save a Gunshot Victim’s Life
An innovative visual project by grantees James Sprankle, Paige Skinner, and Kate Bubacz captures the ripple effect each time a gunshot finds a target. Their focus is Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia, where an astonishing 18 percent of trauma cases involve gunshot wounds. Nearly three dozen photographs document “the 100-plus people a gunshot victim may see from the time they are shot until they are fully recovered—part of the vast but largely hidden economic and psychological cost of gun violence,”
How the NRA evolved from backing a 1934 ban on machine guns to blocking nearly all firearm restrictions today
The mass shootings at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, just 10 days apart, are stirring the now-familiar national debate over guns seen after the tragic 2012 and 2018 school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, and Parkland, Florida. Inevitably, if also understandably, many Americans are blaming the National Rifle Association for thwarting stronger gun laws that might have prevented these two recent tragedies and many others. The evolution of the NRA is complicated, but its history spans three distinct periods. Read more here.
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 Join Metro United Way and Park Community Credit Union for their next virtual Beyond Buzzwords event featuring Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.
Published in May 2017, The Color of Law breaks down an explosive, alarming history that confronts how American governments in the twentieth century deliberately imposed residential racial segregation on metropolitan areas nationwide. This is a virtual event on Tuesday, June 7 from 12pm-1:15pm. Register here.
Community Board
Take a look at some of the latest news, resources, and events in the community. Keep your community informed by sharing these with family, friends, and neighbors.
Budget season is here!
The FY23 budget season kicked off last month, and Metro Council has already begun holding meetings with each Metro Government agency. This year, The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods has requested funding to continue addressing violence from a holistic, community-centered approach to help prevent violence before it occurs. After experiencing its first year of being fully funded, it will build on this work and continue to expand its partnerships. You can express support for OSHN and other departments on the 2022-2023 Louisville Metro Budget Comment form.
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University of Louisville Football Camp - (7 - 14 year olds)
This summer University of Louisville football players Monty Montgomery, LB, and Brock Domann, QB, along with 10 - 12 of their Cards teammates, will host a Youth Football Camp for athletes ages 7-14 years old.
It will be held on June 25, 2022, at King Louie’s Sport Complex (Louisville, KY). Scholarships are available. Please use the QR code on the register. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jack Dodd, Coordinator Scholarship Program,
218-349-5696 or by email jackd96@gmail.com
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Summer Tennis Fun
Get ready to enjoy some summer tennis fun! The classes will take place from June 13th-17th from 10AM-noon at Auburndale Park, and will be for ages 6-12. The class is FREE, no equipment necessary and lunch will be provided from noon-12:30PM. This is meant to be an introduction to tennis, and no prior experience is necessary.
This program is provided by Councilwoman Amy Holton Stewart, Louisville Parks & Recreation, USTA Kentucky, and the Louisville Area 10 and Under Tennis Association. Scan the QR code located on the flyer to learn more or register.
For more information, or to register, visit louisville10andundertennis.com
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana is Seeking Mentors
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana (BBBSKY) is recruiting Bigs to serve as mentors for children in all of Louisville’s neighborhoods! You have a BIG opportunity in front of you— to not only impact a child’s life today— but to transform their potential for tomorrow.
IT TAKES TWO! 2 people- the mentor and the child, 1 year commitment, 2 outings per month, 2 total hours per month! This is a powerful way to make a difference in a young person's life that will affect them for years to come!
For more information on how to become a Big, click here or scan the QR code to learn more.
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Free GED Prep Classes - Jefferson Skills U
Free GED and English classes are available morning, afternoon, and evening with additional options for instructor-facilitated virtual classes and self-paced online options.
You will have access to: leveled classes, facilitated labs, experienced instructors, college and career navigators, parenting classes, children enrichment classes and online resources!
If you or someone you know needs to earn the GED credential or improve English language skills, please contact us at (502) 485-3400 or complete the enrollment form found at www.ged4u.com.
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Opportunities at the Salvation Army
The Salvation Army provides many amazing opportunities for assistance this summer. Opportunities for assistance include Regular Case Management, Emotional & Educational Support, Food & Transportation Resources, and many more! The Salvation Army strives to help your family have a better future!
Over the summer, they have an array of resources available including food insecurity, household stability, youth programs, and COVID relief. Supportive services are available at their downtown, south Louisville, and Portland campuses. Scan the QR code to learn about all of the opportunities and resources available.
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 The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office has scheduled an amnesty docket. This means Kentuckians with a bench warrant (a warrant issued from the judge’s bench), most often for failure to appear in court, can apply to have their warrant set aside and reschedule their case.
The deadline to apply for amnesty is Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The dates for amnesty hearings are June 7, 8, and 9 at 1PM ET. Most non-violent Class D felonies are eligible. Learn more and apply here!
News and Announcements
Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods’ prevention and intervention work contributing to violence reduction
With its holistic approach to reducing violence – including case-by-case intervention, citizen volunteers, and community capacity building – Louisville’s Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) has contributed to what LMPD is reporting as a 16% reduction in violence and 40% reduction in shootings in the city, according to the agency’s Director, Dr. Monique Williams.
Speaking to Metro Council’s Budget Committee this afternoon, Dr. Williams said that in its first year of being fully funded, OSHN has expanded opportunities to reach residents where they are; provided grants to partner organizations; and enhanced programming, including strategic outreach with peer support and mentorship, job training, conflict mediation and relocation away from dangerous situations.
OSHN received $4.4 million in the FY21-22 budget, part of Mayor Greg Fischer’s quadrupling of the city’s investment in violence prevention and capacity-building programs, from $5 million to $19 million. Mayor Fischer’s FY22-23 budget proposes $7.3 million for the office, including $2.5 million for the Office of Youth Development, which is moving to OSHN to better align with its violence prevention efforts aimed at the city’s young people.
While there is much work yet to do, “we are building the necessary infrastructure to support our community-driven, evidence-based strategies for violence prevention and intervention,” Dr. Williams told committee members.
Mayor and advocates issue community call to action to address scourge of domestic violence
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer was joined by representatives of The Center for Women and Families, La Casita Center and other advocates today in a news conference to call greater attention to the scourge of domestic violence, as well as services available in Louisville to those in need.
“I want to start with three strong messages for people experiencing domestic violence right now,” the Mayor said. “You are not alone. Help is available. There is no judgment or shame.”
He also issued a community call to action: “This is not a ‘family issue.’ It’s not just something for the police. This is a community problem, and addressing it needs to be a community priority.”
Though Louisville is seeing some positive trends resulting from its whole-of-government approach to public safety, he said, it’s also seeing a sharp and tragic increase of domestic violence homicides. Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) statistics show that at this time in 2020, there were two domestic violence homicides in the city; in 2021, there were five; and so far this year, there have been 12.
Such increases are being seen around the country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic violence has been called “the shadow pandemic.” And one analysis, by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, shows domestic violence incidents in the U.S. increased by 8.1 percent following the imposition of pandemic lockdowns. “Though the precise reasons for the increase are not entirely clear, we know that the lockdowns and pandemic-related economic impacts added to the factors – unemployment, financial insecurity, substance abuse – typically associated with domestic violence,” the Mayor said.
Continue reading here.
Stay Connected!
There is great work happening here in the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, and most importantly, in our community. It is our goal to keep you engaged and co-leading our important work. Our vision for Louisville is a city of safe neighborhoods where everyone is supported, free of violence, and prepared for lifelong success. We can only achieve this together, so stay connected with our monthly newsletters, social media, and visit our website for more information and additional calls to action.
Past OSHN Newsletters can be viewed here.
We would love your feedback. If you have questions or concerns regarding our newsletter, or have a related event that you would like to communicate with our networks, contact Joseph Newland.
Take care of each other.
#BeThe1
OSHN Team
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