BALTIMORE — Roca Baltimore has been awarded a $2 million grant in an effort to expand violence intervention and deepen outreach on non-fatal shootings in Baltimore.
The grant is part of a national violence intervention announcement from the Department of Justice's Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative.
In total, the grants include $100 million in funding to organizations around the country, including two others in Baltimore.
With the grant, Roca hopes to expand the number of young men works with in Baltimore from two-hundred to two-hundred and fifty per year.
“We know the level of trauma is great, and the level of violence in our community is often debilitating to even think about – but we are having an impact and we are committed to staying in the work here, expanding our efforts and never giving up on these young people,” said Kurits Palermo, Executive Vice President of Roca Baltimore. “Today’s announcement and the progress made by these young people finishing their four years in our program is a shining example of that.”
Roca will also be using the funds to expand the after-shooting protocol it launched to track, reach, and engage with all victims of non-fatal shootings in Baltimore City.
“There are no quick fixes but we know that if we heal the trauma, we free the person and, in doing so, can help them change the trajectory of their lives,” said Roca Founder & CEO Molly Baldwin. “We are grateful that the Justice Department, Attorney General Garland, and President Biden and his administration are validating the efficacy of our work and investing in powerful interventions here and all around the country.”
Although Baltimore's overall murder rate increased by 9 percent from 2018-2022, homicides dropped by 7 percent among young people under 25.
“We draw no direct link between our work and a reduction in killings on the streets among the young people we serve, but the number of young people engaged by Roca Baltimore together with unprecedented coordination with Baltimore Police, Department of Juvenile Services and Parole & Probation is having an impact,” said Baldwin.
