Dorri Partain
Managing Editor

Over $1 million in federal funding has been appropriated to support community-based violence intervention programs through efforts by U.S. Representative Emanual Cleaver II with a Community Project Funding process in the annual appropriations bill.

During a press conference at the Mattie Rhodes Center (148 N. Topping Ave.) on Thursday, May 7, Representative Cleaver presented the appropriation of $100,031,000 to John Fierro, President/CEO and Sofia Esquivel-Macias, Community Outreach Team Lead to continue violence prevention efforts through the center’s Parate X Pas program, an Hispanic and Latino response team and community health workers that meet with Hispanic survivors following violent events and conduct street outreach in Hispanic neighborhoods.

“Violence impacts each and every one of us,” stated Fierro, “whether we’re a business owner, a neighbor, a family member. And what we have seen is violence is no longer segregated to one particular neighborhood, it’s throughout our Greater Kansas City area.”

Fierro explained that Mattie Rhodes Center (MRC) began their violence prevention outreach initiative several years ago, through a partnership with the Kansas City Health Department. The number one goal is to prevent retaliation and secondarily provide social and emotional support for families impacted by violence and ongoing community outreach to find other ways to resolve issues and disputes.

MRC also partners with the Kansas City School District and Jackson County COMBAT (Community Based Anti-drug Tax) programs.

Jackson County Prosecutor Meleesa Johnson spoke about the impact of MRC’s outreach programming.

“If people are served and contacted promptly after a tragic incident has occurred, they are much more likely to cooperate with law enforcement and participate in the prosecution system,” said Johnson.

Congressman Cleaver remarked that he fought for this funding appropriation based on his knowledge that it would make ”a tangible difference in the lives of families throughout Kansas City.”

“Mattie Rhodes has been a cornerstone of community support across the city. By strengthening their violence prevention initiatives, we are investing not only in safer neighborhoods, but in opportunity and stability,” said Congressman Cleaver.

To conclude the press conference, Fierro stated that MRC’s violence intervention outreach would continue to forge partnerships.

“If we have the ability, as we organize what we’re going to use the dollars for, to be able to bring in other groups that are doing great work, that are complementary and create a greater impact to reduce violence, that is our commitment,” said Fierro.

In February of this year, MRC announced the allocation of funding through the Department of Justice’s STOP School Violence Program to provide behavioral health intervention for more than 3000 students attending Northeast High and Northeast Middle schools.

For previous coverage of Mattie Rhodes community outreach programs, visit https://northeastnews.net/pages/federal-grant-to-fund-violence-prevention-program-in-northeast-schools/

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