Cuyahoga County will be handing out three $15,000 grants to community-based organizations working to reduce violence. The grants represent the first from the county’s new Office of Violence Prevention since it was established last May.
A primary goal of that office is to help better fund and support organizations doing work on the ground, said Myesha Watkins, who was hired to lead the office starting last August.
The county has a large ecosystem of local groups working to prevent violence. But many are small, cash-strapped nonprofits run by community members who often volunteer their own time to offer services. Some employ street outreach workers who try to interrupt the cycle of retaliation. Other groups support young people in the criminal justice system and mentor young people in order to reduce the likelihood they engage in violent behavior…