The Birmingham City Council has voted unanimously to continue funding multiple programs and organizations aimed at providing violence intervention.
There are four organizations that are receiving this financial support to help with outreach, support and data collection. The funding adds up to more than $2.5 million. All items were recommended by the Mayor.
In looking at the violent crime numbers, they have drastically improved year over year. According to Birmingham Police data, there were 152 homicides in 2024. As of right now, Birmingham has seen 86 homicides. That’s a nearly 45% improvement. Click here to see an interactive map of where each homicide happened.
Councilwoman LaTonya Tate thanked the organizations for what they’ve already done in the community.
“We’ve still got a long way to go, but I really want to thank you all,” Tate said. “Some of you all are gun violence victims yourselves. The sacrifices and the hard work that you all have really done to really start Birmingham trending in the way that we imagined.”
The Institute of Research for Social Justice in Action, Inc. received $700,000 to implement a Community Practitioner Certification and Transforming Communities Through Effective Violence Intervention Strategies Program under the Community Safety Initiatives Immediate Response Action Plan. There will be an additional $275,435.42.
Live Free USA was awarded $130,350 and will provide an integrated violence intervention program with street outreach and victim services components in which people at the highest risk for lethal violence are engaged both in the streets and at the emergency room.
Offender Alumni Association received $297,582 with an additional funding amount of $500,000. Those with the organization will provide services to address the social and economic concerns of Birmingham citizens by supporting severely injured victims of gun violence admitted into UAB’s Trauma and Acute Care Division by providing care to victims and their families utilizing violence interruptive activities and mentorship programs like the Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program that is sensitive to the past traumas and triggers of these victims.
Trajectory Changing Solutions, LLC was awarded $700,000 and will provide a comprehensive Community Violence Intervention Program which will include employment and training of outreach workers and violence interrupters, non-traditional hours and rapid response capability, capacity building and program sustainability components. They will also be collecting data, providing reports and tracking outcomes. They will also be involved in community engagement and relationship building.
With the passing, Councilman Hunter Williams requested data from these organizations to see the numbers as to how they’re performing.
“We got some good numbers this year and I’m super, super excited to see what you all will continue to do and really want to make it really publicly known that these are local people doing this work in Birmingham,” Tate said.
All of these agreements end on or before September 30, 2026.
