Mayor Nichols Announces $2 Million Funding For Tulsa's Youth Violence Prevention Program

Tulsa receives $2 million in federal funding to help fight youth violence. The funding will pair more young people with mentors.

Several community groups have observed successful programs elsewhere that build up community mentors and reduce violence in the process.

“What I know is that when we have to call on law enforcement to solve a problem, that means, in some other way, we've failed as a community,” said Mayor Monroe Nichols.

This is the first major crime prevention strategy announced by Nichols.

The Department of Justice awarded Tulsa $2 million to help community groups reach young people and address some root causes of violence.

“When we do these things, we see results that don’t just put someone in jail,” said Public Safety Commissioner Laurel Roberts. “That prevents the real problem and keeps them from going to jail in the first place.”

Youth Services of Tulsa is already doing similar work without the resources to expand.

“And we pair them with a credible messenger and a counselor to work with them and reintegrate them into their community with the goal of staying out of further involvement with the legal system,” said Beth Svetlic-Edwards.

The Tulsa Community-Based Violence Intervention Initiative includes the City of Tulsa, Youth Services of Tulsa, the Terence Crutcher Foundation, and My Brother’s Keeper.

Mayor Nichols said the measure of success will be less violence and more opportunities for young people.

“This grant will help us get a start, but the real test will be just how much of this becomes how we do business at the City of Tulsa, and that’s why we’re at the table as a city,” he said.

The mayor noted the city recently received $3 million for police enforcement, and this $2 million is for prevention.

The groups have been studying other cities with similar programs and believe the initiative can begin in Tulsa in about six months.