Milwaukee County officials told the Committee on Health Equity, Human Needs and Strategic Planning that multiple multiyear contracts will be executed to implement an Advanced Peace fellowship funded by a $2,000,000 Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative grant awarded to Children, Youth, and Family Services (CYFS).

Kelly Pethke, Administrator for Children, Youth, and Family Services, said the grant totals $2,000,000 over three years and began Oct. 1. "All of these contracts that are in this board report are funded 100% through a $2,000,000 grant that CYFS was recently granted," she said. The grant period runs through Sept. 30, 2027, and the report breaks down how funds will be allocated among partners.

Pethke described the contracts: a purchase-of-service agreement with Milwaukee Christian Center for up to $1,011,284 to implement the program; a professional services agreement with the Medical College of Wisconsin for $172,922 to serve as research partner and produce a needs assessment and strategic plan; a $60,000 professional services agreement with Dr. Jason Corburn for data and program evaluation; and a $120,000 purchase-of-service contract with Advance Peace to provide training, coaching and technical assistance.

"This is a national model that really targets those individuals that are at the the root of gun violence in an urban community," Pethke said, describing Advance Peace's focus on people involved in gun violence and the fellowship structure. The program will run two cohorts, each up to 18 months, working with individuals identified as high risk for involvement in gun violence.

Deputy Director David Mohammed said the County selected the Advanced Peace model because evaluations in other cities have shown measurable reductions in homicides and nonfatal shootings. "We saw upwards of 20% or more reductions in homicides and nonfatal shootings," he said, citing results from Stockton and Richmond among other jurisdictions. Later in the discussion he said preliminary 2024 figures provided by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Police Department show "upwards of a 20% reduction in incidents, particularly from victims 0 to 17," and a "51% reduction in youth suspects."

Supervisor Martin urged continued attention to alternatives to incarceration and cited county dashboard figures on youth placements outside the county. "For yesterday alone, we spent over $48,000 to just house those youth, approximately," he said, adding that such expenses underline the case for investing in prevention and credible-messenger programs.

The report was presented for information and has been referred to the County Finance Committee. No contract approvals occurred at this meeting; staff said formal authorizations will follow the Finance Committee review as required by the size and multiyear nature of the agreements.