Forsyth commissioners are taking city leaders to task after the county was left to cover most of the cost for continuing a crime-intervention program that has shown early success in one of Winston-Salem’s most violent neighborhoods.
On Sept. 25, the board approved extending a contract for the Cure for Violence program in and around the Cleveland Avenue Homes public housing complex in East Winston-Salem.
Under the initiative, administered through the Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods program’s eight-member ForsythWINS team, so-called violence interrupters canvas the Winston-Salem Police Department’s Beat 222 district from 3 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The goal is to reduce gun violence by identifying and de-escalating potential conflicts, and an August report from researchers at UNC Greensboro found that results from the program’s second year of operation “offer promising early evidence of the Cure Violence Model’s potential impact in Winston-Salem.”
Since entering a partnership in March 2022, the city and county shared costs of the operation equally through a $1.5 million federal American Rescue Plan Act grant, but not enough of that money remained to fully cover expenses for the current year.
When the city was asked again to evenly split costs to continue the program, “They said no,” County Manager Shontell Robinson told commissioners. “What they were willing to do was roll over (their) remaining (ARPA funding), which was $65,000.”
However, Robinson said Friday that the county later discovered that just $15,000 in city ARPA funding remained, “which essentially only covered a small portion of July expenses (the first month of the fiscal year).”
That left the county to kick in more than $273,000 to continue the program, with previously budgeted anti-gang funding covering most of that.
‘I would admonish our city’
The imbalance didn’t sit well with commissioners.
“It is very disturbing that the city of Winston-Salem does not participate in this Cure Violence program, knowing again that at Cleveland Avenue, we do have a problem with gun and gang violence,” said Commissioner Tonya McDaniel, a Democrat whose District A includes the area covered by the program. “I would admonish our city of Winston-Salem and city council representatives to come to the table and support it in the future.”
District A’s other representative, Democrat Shai Woodbury, also a former chairperson of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education, referenced the district’s financial crisis in her pitch for continuing Cure Violence.
“We see youth are having to pay for the consequences of the dealings of adults from the school system,” Woodbury noted. “I would think that our young people in the county wouldn’t have to bear additional burden, because adults are not ideally doing what we said we would do.”
She added that the county should be “very considerate” of the consequences of not filling the funding gap — a phrase that Republican Commissioner Richard Linville quickly picked up on.
“I’ll use the word considerate, too,” he said. “It just might turn out that the county might be more considerate than the city on this matter.”
Chairman Don Martin, also a Republican, carried on the reference.
“I’d say the county is being way more considerate,” he noted.
‘Intelligent approach’
Martin and fellow Republican Commissioner Gray Wilson also expressed disappointment with the city while pointing to UNCG’s positive assessment of the program.
“It’s always a concern when that happens and they’re not working in sync with the county,” Wilson said of the city. “I did read the report, though, and it’s quite compelling. … It looks like a very intelligent approach to this has been made, from gang violence to opioid use, and hopefully this is something that will bear fruit.”
Added Martin: “I read that report also, and clearly I think finishing this year is well worth that investment.”
However, Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt was having none of her Republican colleagues’ congeniality.
“If the city doesn’t feel that it’s worthwhile, then I don’t see why we have to pick up our half when they’re not picking up their half,” she insisted.
When asked about the city’s stance, spokeswoman Deborah Clark noted the role of ARPA money in the process.
“This budget was approved a few years ago and is multi-year, meaning the funds are available until they are all used up, regardless of the fiscal year,” she replied in an email. “Since this funding comes from a one-time federal grant, it is designated as a one-time allocation. If the program needs more money in the future, the City Council must approve any additional funding requests.”
‘Tremendous value’
As co-chair of ForsythWINS’ steering committee, Robinson, the county manager, has a unique perspective on the Cure for Violence initiative.
“I believe the program has brought tremendous value to our community,” Robinson told the Journal. “The ForsythWINS team has worked hard to build trusting relationships within the neighborhoods they serve, which is the foundation of long-term success.”
Typically, it would take at least five years of data to properly evaluate such a program, but the positive outcomes so far offer hope, she added.
“Specifically, the (UNCG) report shows that neighborhoods served by the ForsythWINS team have experienced a reduction in crime, highlighting both the program’s value and its early effectiveness.”
Commissioners ultimately voted 6-1 to approve extending the contract, with Whisenhunt the lone dissenter.
John Deem covers the Triad for the Winston-Salem Journal and Greensboro News & Record. Contact him at john.deem@lee.net
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