Editor,

As we find Congress in chaos once again due to the federal budget, I think about the work I have been doing in Washington, D.C. learning about Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs. CVI programs fall under the Department of Justice and are funded by the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies FY2024 appropriations bill.

CVI programs are an investment into our local communities. These programs are relatively new in the state of Ohio but have seen success elsewhere. The Safe Streets program in Baltimore, Maryland has seen homicide reductions of over 50%. One program that falls under CVI is violence interrupters. Violence interrupter programs work by employing people within their communities and equipping them with the resources they need to break the vicious cycle on violence.

Throughout the ongoing process to reach a finalized federal budget, CVI programs have seen a wide range of proposed funding. Some legislators have proposed investing over $100 million into these programs, while others want to see them cut from the budget entirely.

I urge our legislators to find common ground by investing $55 million dollars in CVI programs for the FY2024 Budget so that we can all enjoy safer and healthier communities.

Garrett Simmons

Wilmington, Ohio