Program credited with helping to reduce homicides in McKees Rocks and Stowe Township to zero

The area of McKees Rocks and Stowe Township, which has struggled with gun violence and crime, is dramatically turning itself around.

Just four years ago, there were 11 homicides in the small area of only a few square miles. The area, known as Sto-Rox, was considered the most violent place in Pennsylvania per capita five years ago. Last year, there were no homicides, thanks in part to a huge community-wide effort called the Community Violence Reduction Initiative.

"You have a community that's coming together as a whole, that's saying, 'hey we have this problem, we recognize that we have this problem, we're going to address this problem head on,'" said Kevin Platz, the executive director of Focus on Renewal. 

Focus on Renewal, or FOR, is a program put together by the nonprofit that primarily focuses on coming in direct contact with the high-risk potential offenders. They find them jobs and provide therapy. But first and foremost, they hit the streets, interfacing with potential offenders one-on-one.

"I'm 15 years incarcerated. I come home, I've been home 12 years. I've changed my life, so now, I bring that to them," said outreach coordinator Rick Jackson. 

"Sick and tired of being sick and tired" is a theme KDKA heard repeatedly. 

"I think people are tired inside McKees Rocks being known for that's where bad things happen," Platz said.

The program was started in Chicago, so the group brought it here. And McKeesport started the same program a year after Sto-Rox.