(The Center Square) – The Tacoma City Council has adopted a resolution that will provide $300,000 for programs to reduce youth gun violence in the city.
The unanimously passed Resolution 41197 will provide $200,000 to support the opening of Whole Child Safe Zone sites. This is a new program being implemented this summer that seeks to create up to 12 safe spaces for Tacoma Public Schools students, according to the resolution.
Another $100,000 will help expand programming for middle and high school aged students. The total $300,000 in funding stems from the Tacoma Human Rights and Human Services’ Criminal Justice fund.
Tacoma city officials proposed the extra funding as a result of “an alarming year-over-year increase in youth deaths to gun violence,” according to the resolution.
According to Tacoma City Councilmember Kiara Daniels, three young people were killed in gun-related homicides between January and April this year.
The resolution is also directing the Tacoma City Manager to partner with public policy research organizations on youth asset mapping, along with working towards expanding collaborative efforts around violence prevention programming to reach populations most at risk of gun violence.
The Tacoma Police Department reports that a gun is stolen from a vehicle every 57 hours in the City, with 51 guns reported stolen this year.
“In light of the national gun violence crisis facing young people today, and our city’s own experiences [of] losing beloved children in gun-related homicides, we are redoubling our efforts to address youth violence and taking urgent action to protect kids this summer,” Daniels said in a statement. “We simply will not stand by while we lose our kids to gun violence.”
This article First appeared in the center square