The Brief<\/p>\n
Oakland is receiving $1,039,000 in federal funding secured by Congresswoman Lateefah Simon to expand “Operation Ceasefire,” the city’s violence prevention program.<\/p>\n
The funding will allow the Department of Violence Prevention to hire at least five additional life coaches to engage with at-risk individuals and offer alternative pathways like safe housing and employment.<\/p>\n
While city leaders note historic double-digit reductions in homicides and shootings, recent violent incidents highlight the ongoing need for community-based interventions amid broader city budget cuts.<\/p>\n
OAKLAND, Calif. – While federal funding cuts across the board impact multiple cities, Oakland<\/a> is receiving a significant federal investment for its violence prevention program, “Operation Ceasefire.” City leaders credit the program as a critical tool in bringing the local homicide rate down to its lowest level in nearly 60 years.<\/p>\n Ceasefire program successful, city says<\/p>\n The city secured $1,039,000 for the Ceasefire-Lifeline program.<\/p>\n What we know<\/p>\n Currently, about a dozen “life coaches” work within Oakland’s Ceasefire program<\/a>. Officials state the new influx of money will help hire at least five more, with the goal of preventing crime before it happens.<\/p>\n Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, representing the 12th District and running for reelection, secured the federal funding for the initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n “These men and women are on the streets every day doing things that many folks don’t know or don’t understand,” Simon said, referring to the group consisting of Dept. of Violence Prevention employees, Faith in Action advocates, and city officials.<\/p>\n The program identifies and engages with individuals most likely to commit a crime to prevent retaliation between groups, and instead, provides youth with access to safe housing and employment pathways.<\/p>\n Holly Joshi, chief of the Department of Violence Prevention, said the cash will vitalize staffing.\u00a0<\/p>\n “When I started at the end of 2023, we had seven or eight life coaches at that time,” Joshi said. “And now we are basically in a position where in the next few months we will have doubled our staffing model.”<\/p>\n City data indicates crime is down<\/a>, with homicides plunging to the lowest levels seen in decades.<\/p>\n “For the third year in a row, Oakland is experiencing double-digit reductions in homicides and shootings and violence overall is down\u2014these are historic wins,” Joshi added.<\/p>\n Recent crime data shows homicides are down<\/p>\n Why you should care<\/p>\n However, officials agree there is more work to do.<\/p>\n A woman was shot and injured in West Oakland near Prescott Elementary School. A few days prior, a teenager was stabbed and killed<\/a> while walking home from San Antonio Park. Earlier this month in East Oakland, another teenager was arrested for manslaughter and hit-and-run after speeding a pickup truck into a crowd on the sidewalk, killing three people<\/a>.<\/p>\n Broad federal funding cuts have made it difficult to expand community programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n