What's at stake?
Advance Peace saw $2 million in federal funding taken away with no warning last year, jeopardizing one of the most successful local crime intervention programs.
On Thursday, the Fresno City Council agreed to fund the program through the fall. They also signaled that more money could be coming soon.
The Fresno City Council extended a short-term financial lifeline to one of the most successful local criminal violence prevention programs, and hinted at additional support coming later this year.
The council on Thursday approved a $250,000 grant for Advance Peace Fresno, extending the crime prevention program through October.
Aaron Foster, program manager for Advance Peace, told Fresnoland after the meeting that he’s “very hopeful and look(s) forward to the city’s support.”
Foster’s comments help signal a sharp change of fortune for the program following a year of uncertainty.
Managed by the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, Advance Peace is a California-based criminal violence intervention program that provides supportive services — like 18-month educational fellowships for individuals ages 9-30 — in the hope of reducing gun violence, particularly in urban neighborhoods.
Fresno approved an agreement with the EOC to manage the program locally in 2024. The agreement came with city money for the program to help supplement a larger federal grant that was supposed to serve as the main source of funding.
However, without warning, the program lost $2 million last year following a series of financial cuts to criminal violence intervention programs across the country conducted by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The cuts not only jeopardized Advance Peace’s long-term future, but also saw employees laid off as a result.
In a statement shared with CalMatters last year, the Department of Justice said the administration would not be funding what they believe were “listening sessions.”
Notably, criminal violence intervention programs have been shown to be an effective tool to decrease crime.
The City of Fresno’s homicide count saw a 50-year low last year. That decline can be, at least partially, attributed to the work of Advance Peace, researchers have said.
A study conducted by UC Berkeley and UC Merced released last year found that Advance Peace’s work helped reduce gun violence by as much as 46%.
Thursday’s vote allocates an additional quarter of a million dollars to Advance Peace, which should keep the program running through October, and also removes the age requirement for the program. The program was scheduled to expire in late June.
Thursday’s vote was 6-0. Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell was absent from the meeting.
The money comes from contingency funding allocated for such situations.
Earlier this week, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer told Fresnoland that he supports the program.
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias asked from the dais at Thursday’s meeting whether the mayor intended to include further funding in his proposed budget for the next fiscal year.
Fresno City Manager Georgeanne White replied by saying that nothing would be officially revealed until the mayor presented his budget next month, “but I think it would be safe to say that yes, the mayor does plan on providing funding for Advance Peace in his proposed budget.”
Dyer is scheduled to unveil his proposed budget on May 14.
City grants additional funding for local homeless shelter
The City of Fresno unanimously voted to approve additional funding for an emergency homeless shelter along Parkway Drive, and signaled that plans to convert the site into housing could be announced soon.
The Fresno City Council approved about $1.6 million in additional funding for the Parkway Inn on 959 Parkway Drive, a 62-unit emergency shelter.
The City of Fresno first bought many of these homeless shelter sites using pandemic-era state funding. The funding came with the agreement that local cities and counties would eventually convert the shelter sites into housing.
The city has already converted some of those properties, including the Manzanilla Commons housing property also found along Parkway Drive.
Arias asked from the dais on Thursday what the current timeline was for converting the Parkway Inn — a shelter in his council district — into housing. Arias, who terms out at the end of this year, said he was concerned about tying his successor to additional funding commitments toward a strip of the city that houses many of the region’s homeless shelters.
“As you know, living in Fresno, one bad house in the neighborhood ruins a whole block, and one bad shelter operator can ruin the whole corridor of housing that we’ve built over time,” Arias told Phil Skei, assistant director of the city’s planning and development department.
Skei said that there are currently “slightly premature” plans to convert the shelters into housing with “a very trusted partner,” but did not go into specifics.
He added that the city anticipates plans to be unveiled before the council before Arias leaves office.
Thursday’s vote was 6-0. Maxwell was absent from the meeting.
