AKRON, Ohio — A community violence prevention pilot program is expanding after 18 months of implementation showed a citywide reduction in violent crime.
On Tuesday, the city announced a $600,000 investment in the Akron Street Team, a partnership between the city and the Minority Behavioral Health group, which provides behavioral health services to Summit County and neighboring areas.
The new funding expands a crisis intervention program in which counselors with lived experience go out into communities and build relationships with individuals at the highest risk of becoming involved in violence, according to a news release from the City of Akron. The city describes the counselors as “credible messengers.”…