Public safety advocates push for permanent funding to programs

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — In 2021, the Reimagine Public Safety Act was passed, giving extra funding to community violence intervention programs. Today advocates rallied at the state house to push for that funding to become permanent in the 2025 state budget.

The goal of these programs is to ensure help communities disproportionately impacted by gun violence. These programs provide street-based violence interruption work, transitional housing, job training, victim services and trauma-informed behavioral health services, among other things.

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"We can't just treat the people who are impacted by the epidemic of gun violence, we need a comprehensive approach," said Father Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church. "We need to deal with the root causes of this disease of poverty and guns and community abandonment. It's gone on too long.

These programs provide services in dozens of communities across the area, including Decatur, Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, and Danville.