KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – After some of the $1 million allocated to end gun violence in the Kalamazoo area has been appropriated, plans are in the works for another $1 million to be spent when those funds run out, if City of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo County Commissioners approve.
Jen Heymoss with the Kalamazoo Community Foundation says they hope to use that money to underwrite the priorities outlined by their Blueprint for Peace process, which started with 93 possible actions. She says they have narrowed that down to 28 items with 17 priorities. Most of them are targeted at youth intervention and support.
While bids on the initial pot of funds was limited to just three agencies already doing anti-gun violence work in the community, this time they want to open it to all comers.
Their time table is to get City and County Commission approval soon, open the application process next month, and start awarding bids in December 2023.
Heymoss says they also have plans for a Community Violence Intervention Academy, to train people to work in this field. They are talking with Kalamazoo Valley Community College and the Urban Alliance to formulate a curriculum, making it the first in the state.
Heymoss says they have found that one of the biggest barriers to doing the work is finding qualified people.
