County weighs $200K to keep Des Moines' violence interruption going
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
The Polk County Board of Supervisors will on Tuesday consider allocating $200,000 to extend Creative Visions' Violence Interruption Project (VIP) for at least one more year.
Why it matters: Des Moines stopped city payments to VIP this month, which could create a gap in outreach and mediation aimed at preventing shootings and retaliatory violence.
- The county money is viewed as a one-time expense to sustain the effort while leaders examine long-term strategies.
Catch up quick: VIP was launched in January 2022 as a city partnership based on Cure Violence, a program from Chicago.
- Creative Visions — a youth mentorship, job training and conflict mediation group founded by former state Rep. Ako Abdul–Samad (D-DSM) — runs it locally.
Follow the money: The city invested around $750,000 in VIP.
- The program initially faced challenges with vague benchmarks before the city discontinued funding it this month due to broader budget cuts.
Friction point: Advocates unsuccessfully asked the City Council in April to reject the proposal that ended its city funding.
- "The program is working, and to stop a flower mid-bloom would kind of be like washing dishes and sticking them back in dirty water," Tim McCoy, director of VIP, said.
Zoom in: The program must operate at the same level as it has this year to receive the county money, per the agenda materials.
- With other donations, VIP now has enough money to continue through next year, but organizers are seeking sponsors to sustain the program in the coming years, Abdul-Samad tells Axios.
The intrigue: Supervisors will vote separately Tuesday to give Creative Visions an extra $59,000 for upgrades to the group's DSM building.
What's next: Supervisors are scheduled to discuss the funding resolution during Tuesday's meeting, which begins at 9:30am and can be watched live.