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How is central Ohio combatting gun violence? A look at resources available
The network of resources for families and communities affected by violence is interconnected and growing.
Following the drastic spike in homicides in Columbus during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, both the city and Franklin County have continued to prioritize initiatives to heal central Ohio and its residents.
Local government's response: Prioritizing data-driven collaboration
Since its inception in 2023, after Mayor Andrew Ginther declared gun violence a public health crisis in 2022, Columbus' Office of Violence Prevention has stressed evidence-based and data-founded initiatives, said Rena Shak, the office's director.
Since June 2024, the office has also overseen the implementation of the Columbus Violence Reduction (CVR) strategy, the local adaptation of the evidence-based Group Violence Intervention Model. The collaborative strategy between community and law enforcement works to reduce homicides and gun violence as well as the harm they cause in communities through a focus on deterrence.
It also invested a total of $1.35 million so far this year in grants to 35 unique grantees, including both Think Make Live Youth and Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children, according to the Office of Violence Prevention. Shak also said the office's work highly emphasizes violence intervention.
"We actually were able to kind of create Columbus' first community violence-intervention ecosystem," Shak said.
"It's the first comprehensive, official ecosystem that the city has ever had. We started that at the beginning of last year."
Franklin County's ecosystem
On a local level, the county prosecutor's office is treating gun violence like an epidemic since Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor took office in November 2024.
Like the city, the county is focusing on community collaboration and data-driven solutions.
"I remain unwavering in my commitment to real, lasting solutions. This crisis can't be solved in silos," Favor said via email.
In a similar ecosystem, Favor said she is engaging with law enforcement, community leaders, social service providers and residents to build a coordinated response rooted in both accountability and prevention. Favor moved her office's "Gun Unit" under its "Strategic Prosecution Division" as part of a restructuring to use more data and innovation to solve problems.
After losing her 19-year-old son, Aiden David, in May, Gretchen Specht said she has felt the strength of the collaborative community in central Ohio surround her.
As she has accessed resources, including Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children, the Pickerington mom of three is now advocating for early intervention and the elevation of community resources, especially regarding domestic violence and believing survivors' stories as her son was killed by the estranged ex-husband of the woman he was beginning to date.
Columbus has compiled a comprehensive list of Violence Prevention Resources in the community. It can be found on the Office of Violence Prevention's website.
These include Columbus Violence Reduction, Columbus Urban League's Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program, Columbus' VOICE (Violence Outreach, Intervention, Community Engagement) program and more.
Sophia Veneziano is a Columbus Dispatch reporter supported by the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation. She may be reached at sveneziano@ The Dispatch retains full editorial independence for all content.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gun violence in Columbus: What community resources exist?
