A new program that aims to prevent gang and gun violence is being rolled out in the Halifax area.
The CeaseFire program brings outreach workers, community and faith leaders, police and public agencies together to reduce gun violence.
It was created by the University of Illinois School of Public Health and first launched in Chicago in 2000. The program has been implemented in major U.S. cities like Baltimore, New York City and Philadelphia.
“The one nice thing about this program, it has a background, it has academic research to show that it has proven effectively, as opposed to just try grabbing at something for the sake of grabbing at something,” said Halifax Regional Police Deputy Chief Bill Moore.
In 2012, government and police agencies met with about 80 community and faith leaders and youth who determined CeaseFire was a potential solution to gun violence in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay announced the program in Dartmouth Friday morning. Halifax is the first Canadian city to implement the program.
“Early indications are that, based on the success of other cities, other communities across the country will want to get on board,” said MacKay.
The federal government is providing $2.1 million over five years for the program, which will be run by the Community Justice Society. Nova Scotia is providing an additional $200,000 over four years.
“I think Halifax is a good fit because I think people are interested in implementing the model,” said Brent Decker of the University of Illinois School of Public Health.
“I feel like there’s a lot of other agencies and organizations that are doing other work and so I think it could be an added bonus to what’s already going on in Halifax.”
CeaseFire uses multiple services to help steer youth away from violence, including trained outreach workers, mentoring services, mental health and employment supports, and community reconciliation circles.
“Our violence interrupters will be going to the source of the gun violence,” said project manager Viki Samuels-Stewart. “They’ll be working directly with those who are involved with gun violence and who are at risk of being involved.”
MacKay said the program will help 120 young men between the ages of 16 and 25 who are involved in criminal activity in the Halifax area.
Seven people are being trained to be violence interrupters. They will work in the communities of North and East Preston, north-end Dartmouth and north-end Halifax.
“I think it’s important that we’ve got a connection with some of the people in the community already, some of the youth,” said outreach worker Stephen Nelson.
“We know some of the family members and things like that so we’re not going to be strangers talking to youth.”
The CeaseFire program will launch in May.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster
