COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus City Council took a fine tooth comb to the budget this week and approved funding for public safety and anti-violence campaigns in the city.
“A guy who has hands-on, dealing with this type of issue, who is from this issue, who lived the life that these young people look up to and try to follow behind and mimic,” said Sean Stevenson.
Stevenson is the founder of the non-profit "End the Violence." His group just received half a million dollars in funding from the city.
“The lack of knowledge, the lack of understanding, no one is listening, no one is talking and communicating with the right people and bringing the right people to the table to bridge the gaps,” Stevenson explained.
While his group has been around for a while starting up boxing clubs for youth, he is now focusing on helping convicted felons get jobs and out of the life of crime.
They will help people navigate the court system and find a law-abiding life after.
“In order to deter violence, we have to create something to combat it, which is create jobs. When you are out on bond, you can't get a job because you have an open case,” Stevenson said.
He works with employers to find jobs and has hired felons to rehab apartments.
Stevenson explains they recruit felons while they are still serving time.
“We are taking them by the hand, we aren't waiting for them to come looking. When they come to that door, we've got them,” Stevenson said.
“We are looking to expand what we are doing and touch more lives,” said Maria Stokes, the assistant director of operations for the non-profit.
In the last year, they have helped over 6,000 people and they say this funding from the city will help them hire more intervention workers to prevent an escalation in violence this summer.
“End the Violence is about saving lives. It's about intervening in a violent situation and diffusing them,” Stokes said.