Urban Peace Institute is celebrating the passage of $12.75M for Peacemakers and $13.8M for Youth Centers by the Care First Community Investment (CFCI) Advisory Committee! This victory is the result of collective advocacy on the part of Urban Peace Institute, our partners in the Los Angeles Violence Intervention Coalition and Los Angeles Youth Uprising Coalition.

The Peacemakers Initiative will provide underserved communities in Los Angeles County with the resources to combat and prevent violence by expanding the number of peacemakers creating safety.

In another step toward Youth Justice Reimagined, youth centers will provide system impacted and marginalized Black and Brown communities with much needed programming and services. The hubs will act as safe and supportive spaces encouraging youth development, educational access, and job readiness while decreasing justice system involvement and community violence. This funding emphasizes community ownership, as the County will transfer its ownership of land and properties to a shared trust of local CBOs that will co-own, co-manage, and co-govern youth centers with the youth they serve.

The next stop is final approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this fall. We look forward to seeing the County affirm its commitment to a care first, jails last vision.