Milwaukee County is rolling out a new, county-led violence prevention push that officials say is meant to supercharge what is already working on the ground, not reinvent the wheel.
On Thursday, the county unveiled “Destined for Greater,” a bundled initiative that links prevention, intervention and mental health services under one umbrella. The idea is to steer funding and partnerships toward youth mentorship, mental health access and street-level intervention teams in the neighborhoods that have seen the most shootings and violent incidents. County officials say programs will start coming online later this summer, building on existing work rather than starting from scratch.
County Executive David Crowley announced that the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention is putting up $1,500,000 to seed the effort, with Milwaukee County coordinating services alongside partners that include the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation, Milwaukee Turners, Fathers Making Progress and the HIR Wellness Institute. Officials are touting the plan as a coordinated push to scale evidence-based services, from credible-messenger mentoring to mental health navigation and community hubs, according to WTMJ.
County leaders and advocates are leaning on earlier gains from the Credible Messenger program, which county data show has kept roughly three-quarters of participating youth from being referred for new offenses while they are enrolled. The model pairs mentors with young people and emphasizes weekly check-ins, case management and life-skills support. Those results were shared at a recent public safety roundtable, covered in detail in the public safety roundtable reporting.
The county is also putting fresh attention on Advance Peace, an 18-month Peacemaker Fellowship model it is expanding. County reporting indicates that about 95% of Advance Peace participants avoided new gun injuries while enrolled. The program pairs “credible messengers” with people at the highest risk of being involved in gun violence and wraps them in supports, training and internship opportunities, all guided by individualized LifeMAP plans. Those outcome figures and the program’s role in the county’s broader strategy were highlighted at the county’s earlier Advance Peace launch, as reported by Urban Milwaukee.
What the funding will do
Under Destined for Greater, county leaders say new resources will go toward expanding credible-messenger teams, scaling up mental health navigation and supporting community-based groups that run prevention hubs and summer programming. The initiative is meant to dovetail with state-level violence prevention work and builds on grants distributed by the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention in recent years. For background on that statewide effort, including earlier grant announcements, see the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention.
What to watch
Advocates are welcoming the county’s announcement but warning that one-time infusions will not cut it if Milwaukee wants durable results. They are calling for multiyear commitments and clear, public evaluation metrics so residents can see whether the numbers actually move. County officials say they plan to track recidivism, shooting incidents and service engagement as the programs roll out, then adjust strategies based on what the data show.
For a closer look at the county’s recent prevention work and some of the early outcomes that helped pave the way for Destined for Greater, see previous coverage of Milwaukee’s Credible Messenger program.
