Baltimore City commits funding to address childhood trauma
BALTIMORE - Baltimore City announced a new partnership with LifeBridge Health's Center for Hope to help implement recommendations made through the City's Child Fatality Review Report.
The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) is committing $500,000 annually to help support the Center for Hope's child advocacy center in its mission to care for and support young people and families impacted by violence.
"Our young people are our leaders, doctors, innovators, and entrepreneurs of tomorrow and every time they and their families are traumatized and retraumatized it makes our city's future all that more bleak," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "Baltimore's renaissance hinges on our ability to encourage healing and address all of the impacts of violence, especially on our young people. This is why I am proud to announce that, for the first time ever, the City is committing to supporting Center for Hope's efforts."
Center for Hope will use this funding to maintain 24 hour delivery of critical resources towards a coordinated, child-friendly, and sensitive response to help children manage and overcome child abuse, trauma, and witness to homicide – ultimately improving public safety outcomes for young people and families who receive these services. These services will be used as part of the City's Community Violence Intervention (CVI) ecosystem.
The 2021 Child Fatality Review Report found that, over the 5-year period, 208 children died in Baltimore City and that 91% of these deaths were preventable. Two-thirds of the children were found to have four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), indicating a high level of trauma and adversity in their short lives.
