A program designed to prevent school shootings has made its way to the Metro Detroit area.

Prevent 2 Protect identifies at-risk youth and provides services to stop violence from ever happening. Lincoln Park Public Schools is the newest school district to enroll in Prevent 2 Protect. It started earlier this school year and joins 30 others across the state.

Prevent 2 Protect Program director Alyse Folino Ley says the program has made a big difference in the 18 months since its launch.

"The impact, I think, is widespread in each of the communities, we've been able to collaborate and provide that bridge between the schools, law enforcement and mental health agencies," Ley said.

Under the program, a student would be identified by their school district as at risk of violence. A behavioral threat assessment is completed, and then the student is referred to the program for services like mental health care.

"By making sure that they feel like they're part of something, you're a lot less likely to hurt someone in a community when you feel part of that community," Ley said. "We're trying to change the trajectory of their lives. But we had kids who have enrolled in sports. We have kids who now have jobs. We have kids who weren't attending school, who are attending school regularly."

She says the program has prevented at least two planned attacks at schools in Michigan.

"Targeted attacks are planned for weeks to months to years, which gives us the opportunity to intervene," she said.

Lincoln Park Public Schools already implemented threat assessment protocols in 2018. The district says Prevent 2 Protect is an extra layer to enhance school safety.

"Prevent 2 Protect allows our students at greatest risk to receive intensive services that may not otherwise be available to them. In addition to promoting school safety, this helps us identify appropriate help and support for students," Superintendent Terry Dangerfield said in a statement.

"We have funding until 2027. What we hope is to get further funding and to move into a second phase of the program," Ley said, adding that every school district across Michigan would have access to the resource with additional funding.