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September 2024 Newsletter |
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Partnering with Faith
OSHN has started convening a diverse group of local faith leaders who, collectively, could become important advisors as OSHN continues to develop effective violence reduction programs and reach more of our communities most vulnerable members. A relationship with faith leaders can bring transformative advice as OSHN continues its work to address the inequities that cause violence. OSHN intends to grow this effort. If you are a faith leader, of any religious affiliation, please connect with us by emailing edgar.thornton@louisvilleky.gov
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OSHN Deploys Services to Dosker Residents
About 300 residents from Louisville’s ill-fated Dosker Manor apartments attended a recent cookout sponsored by the Community Sanctuary Project which was held to introduce them to an OSHN-deployed team of social and mental health workers who will operate on-site supportive services until the last resident is re-housed.
Through the Trauma Resilient Communities (TRC), which is OSHN’s trauma response division, the “Supportive Housing Project" was started when deteriorated living conditions at the 60-year-old complex were highlight by city officials. The average age range for residents at the three-building complex is 62-82 years of age. The average yearly income per resident is below $11,000.
OSHN will be there to help ensure vulnerable residents identify stable housing and have the mental, social, and financial assistance to help them. The program is funded with a $228,992 grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA.)
“People at Dosker are stressed,” said Nannette Dix, SAMHSA Manager at TRC. “Many residents are years behind on their rent, which could jeopardize them,” in securing housing. “Plus, this has been home to them. The relocation is a major event to them.”
Services will help residents identify and secure new living spaces including those with special needs and will offer case management to support residents needing access to particular social services and those wanting to achieve personal goals..
OSHN is working with the Louisville Metro Housing Authority to ensure the program is impactful.
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Let’s Ramp it Up!
OSHN has awarded the Louisville office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) a $50,000 grant from American Rescue Plan funds that sponsors a unique mobile, mental health bus dedicated to youth mental health wellness
The “Louisville Youth Mental Wellness Bus,” will carry a mission to strengthen families and individuals affected by mental illness through advocacy, education, and support. It will offer access to social and emotional learning and mental health programming to youth in underserved neighborhoods and will aim to give prevention and intervention services to youth in an engaging, secure environment. It will serve West End and Newburg youth ages 9-19. The bus will partner with schools, local youth service organizations and will deploy to community events.
NAMI provides the community with suicide prevention courses and peer-to-peer educational programs.
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Be the One to Make a Difference |
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Two of Louisville’s most committed volunteers are OSHN connected
We are plain lucky at OSHN to work with some of the most committed, most talented people in our local midst. So, it's no surprise to us that two individuals committed to bettering life for local youth are recipients of this year's prestigious WLKY Bell Awards.
Bravo to Claudette and Sterling who have worked extensively with OSHN's YES! Youth Engagement Team!
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Sterling Chase
Sterling has been involved with the Food Literacy Project (FLP) in the Shawnee People's Garden, tending gardens and using the experience to help teach children the importance of healthy food options for all neighborhoods. He served with the Church of the Promise and The Table Café, a non-profit social entrepreneurship that provides local fresh food to underserved individuals. He has also been a part of the West Louisville Tennis Club, engaging with West Louisville residents and youth who participated in free tennis clinics put on by the Club. During his junior and senior years, Sterling was the District 5 Representative for Louisville's Metro Youth Cabinet, representing the Portland neighborhood; he attended community events, anti-violence coalition meetings, and helped organize this year’s Louisville Youth Anti-Violence Week.
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Claudette Patton
Claudette has served as a volunteer mentor for 16 years to hundreds of youths who want to earn their Congressional Award Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress awards to youth in America. She is the founder of AMPLIFY 502, a partnership with Louisville’s Office of Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods, aimed at identifying youth ages 13-24 across Jefferson County who are overcoming disability, adversity and challenges while still serving their community. An attorney by profession, Claudette is committed to helping remove barriers for youth in need by connecting them to resources, organizations, and individuals.
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Tonesha Hearn is the new project manager for a geographical pilot program developed specifically for violence reduction in the Newburg neighborhood. Her job is to help drive violence reduction holistically with strong community engagement and by embracing neighborhood cultural characteristics. It’s the first of its kind locally.
She is not from the Newburg neighborhood. Born in Virginia, she lived for a time in the Shawnee neighborhood.
Before her new assignment, she was OSHN’s community engagement supervisor, working closely with a Newburg-based project specialist from OSHN’s Reimagine division. So, coming into her position, she is well versed on Newburg’s challenges for violence reduction. “Newburg has a lot of cohesiveness, which is important for this pilot to succeed,” she said. “I want to do this job because I have an interest in the area.”
“I grew up with no worries as a kid and I realize now how fortunate I was. I have a strong family and having that solid foundation in your life makes a different. Mine enabled me to do anything I wanted, cross country running, concentrating on school. I want the same for any youth in Newburg,” she said.
She came to OSHN two years ago after earning a master’s in social work from UofL in 2016 and working as a child and family social worker with the state of Kentucky.
Along the way, she’s owned a couple of businesses, including a moving company and a family services company that provides therapy and supervised visits for families in crisis.
“I started that business to fill a gap for families. My grandmother was a foster and that sort of got me going in wanting to be a person that helps other people.”
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OSHN Reports to the Community:
Taylor-Berry Neighborhood
If you want to know what the city is doing to curve and treat violence in the Taylor-Berry neighborhood, please register for this FREE event. Throughout the summer, OSHN has held presentations in Louisville neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence. These one-hour presentations cover efforts in direct trauma resources, intervention and prevention, violence interruptions, youth-focused engagement and community mobilization and training. Lite refreshments will be provided. Space is limited, so please reserve your seat.
WHEN: Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 6-8pm
WHERE: South Louisville Community Center, 2911 Taylor Blvd., Louisville, KY
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YES! Connection Event:
Youth Violence Prevention Training
Join us at the YES! Connection Event for youth violence prevention training in Stop the Bleed, Hands-Only CPR, QPR Suicide Prevention, and Narcan administration. OSHN is excited to work with Louisville Parks & Recreation, Whitney Strong, Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness, and NAMI Louisville to provide knowledge and skills needed for youth to take action and play a part in violence prevention. All youth, ages 13-24, are encouraged to attend - parents and guardians are welcome!
Food will be provided. Space is limited - sign up today by clicking the link below. We hope to see you there!
WHEN: October 3, 2024 from 5-7pm
WHERE: Southwick Community Center, 3621 Southern Avenue, Louisville, KY
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Local Anti-Violence Coalitions meet monthly in the Russell, Shawnee, Smoketown, Newburg, Parkhill, Portland, Taylor-Berry, Algonquin, and St. Dennis neighborhoods.
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News Related to Violence Reduction |
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 Mayor Greenberg selects Chief Paul Humphrey to lead Louisville Metro Police Department
A lifelong Louisville resident whose family members worked in public service, Chief Humphrey joined LMPD as a patrol officer in 2006 following his graduation from the University of Louisville. Since 2006 Humphrey has served as a patrol officer and patrol supervisor in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th divisions. A longtime member of the LMPD SWAT Team, Chief Humphrey was promoted to SWAT Team Commander in 2017. Humphrey is credited with restructuring the SWAT Team, creating a new culture of improvement and accountability while managing the team’s training, tactical planning, and operating budget. In 2019, Humphrey was chosen to lead the LMPD training division before being promoted to Deputy Chief for Accountability and Improvement in 2022 where he led LMPD’s police reform initiatives during and after the DOJ’s pattern and practice investigation of the department.
“Over the past year and a half, I’ve worked closely with Chief Humphrey, and I’ve observed the way he navigates challenging situations with the LMPD command staff. Chief Humphrey is thoughtful, fair, and decisive. He has earned my respect, and he has earned the respect and trust of this community, including the hardworking men and women of the Louisville Metro Police Department. He understands the importance of community policing and he will demand accountability from his officers, his command staff, and himself. LMPD needs stability in its leadership, and I’m confident Chief Humphrey will bring that stability.”
Chief Humphrey is credited with establishing the LMPD Accountability and Improvement Bureau in 2022, which led to the opening of The Summit Wellness Center, a state of the art facility promoting mental, physical, spiritual, social, and financial wellness for police officers and other first responders in Louisville. Earlier this year, he represented LMPD on the consent decree negotiation team along with officials from the Mayor’s Office and the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office.
“The sworn and professional staff of LMPD work tirelessly each day to make Louisville a safer city. It is a tremendous honor to serve our residents, business community, and visitors. I am profoundly grateful to Mayor Greenberg for his support, and that he has confidence in our leadership. Our city deserves a top-tier, quality police department and I look forward to continuing LMPD’s commitment of providing exceptional services to our community,” Chief Humphrey said.
Outside of LMPD, Chief Humphrey is actively engaged with several community organizations. He serves on the board of St. Xavier High School, his alma mater, and the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council. He has also served on the Catholic Charities of Louisville Board of Directors. Humphrey lives in Louisville with his wife and three children
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Frequent gun violence near school grounds harms millions of kids, analysis finds
From 2014 to 2023, communities across the U.S. saw more than 188,000 shootings within 500 yards of a school, an average of 57 shootings per day, according to a new analysis by The Trace. The report found that in 2023 alone, 6 million students had a shooting occur near their school. Olga Pierce, one of the journalists who did this analysis, joins William Brangham to discuss the findings.
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Firearms Remain Leading Cause of Death for Children and Teens, and Disproportionately Affect People of Color
For third straight year, firearms killed more children and teens, ages 1 to 17, than any other cause including car crashes and cancer.
A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions underscores the continuing epidemic of gun deaths in the U.S., including among children and especially among Black youth. The Center is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The report, Gun Violence in the United States 2022: Examining the Burden Among Children and Teens, assessed the latest finalized data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, highlighting that 48,204 people, the second highest on record, died from gunshots in the U.S. in 2022, including 27,032 suicides, an all-time high for the country.
The annual report’s major focus this year is on gun deaths among children ages 1 to 17. In the U.S., gun death rates in this age group have increased by 106 percent since 2013 and have been the leading cause of death among this group since 2020.
The report also illuminates the disproportionate impact of gun deaths among Black children and teens. In 2022, in the 1 to 17 age group, Black children and teens had a gun death rate 18 times higher than that of white children in the same age group. The gun homicide rate among Black children and teens rose 5.6 percent from 2021 to 2022. The rate of gun suicide among Black older teens and emerging adults, ages 15 to 19, rose sharply—24 percent year-over-year—surpassing the gun suicide rate among white teens in that age range for the first time.
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Empowering Youth with Every Resource
It is important for youth to have resources because they are in a crucial stage of development and need support to navigate challenges and obstacles they may face. Having resources such as educational opportunities, health services, mental health support, and access to mentors can help young people build the necessary skills and resilience to succeed in their personal and professional lives. Additionally, having resources can provide a sense of stability and security, which is important for overall well-being and mental health. By investing in youth and providing them with resources, we can empower them to reach their full potential and contribute positively to society.
If you are a youth service provider that would like to apply to the YES! Direct, you can APPLY HERE. Applicants must be a registered 501c3 organization that administers background checks to all staff and volunteers.
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Be The One To Make A Difference |
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Where Gun Violence is Happening in Our City |
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The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods is always looking for community spaces to host our events.
If you know of a community space please email The Reimagine Network.
reimagine@louisvilleky.gov
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OSHN’s mission is to reduce the risk of violence in all of Louisville’s communities. If you have an event or festival that we can table and share what the city is doing to holistically reduce violence and how it affects you and our community - We Want to Come! Please fill out our tabling request form or go to the website at Office for Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods | LouisvilleKY.gov We’ll look forwarding to meeting you!
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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. |
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View any past OSHN Newsletter!
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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 the Reimagine Network.
Take care of each other,
The Reimagine Network
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Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods
908 W Broadway, 5th Floor, Louisville, KY 40203 | Phone: 502-574-6949
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