What Impact Can We Have?
Our sibling justice ministries in DART across the South and Midwest are
examples for what collective power people can achieve on the local level.
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BUILD in Lexington, KY, has leveraged $141 million in local funding to create 1,700 units of affordable housing for families on the verge of homelessness.
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FAST in Pinellas County, Florida, got the county commission to implement a program called Housing First that provides housing and support services to prevent residents from cycling between hospitals, jails, and the streets due to mental illness.
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PACT in Miami-Dade got the county to launch a proven gun violence intervention strategy called Group Violence Intervention (GVI). The policy focuses on the extremely small number of people, typically young men ages 18-24, who are most likely to shoot or be shot in group-related conflicts. GVI offers them support via social services and a way out of a violent lifestyle. It has reduced youth homicides by up to 63% in other cities where it has been implemented.
Our Capital Area Justice Ministry member congregations uses the small group model and
collaboration to choose which community problems we will tackle each year.