High Point Community Against Violence
Making High Point safer for everyone
Our Domestic Violence Initiative is the focus of a great article by John Tucker, Staff Writer with the Independent Weekly. It was written as a two part series, but you can read it in its entirety on line.
Tucker chose to take a national approach to the story and did his research with professionals as well a victim and her family. It’s a well rounded look at domestic violence and what High Point is doing to make a difference.
High Point Community Against Violence (HPCAV) is pleased to announce a $3500 donation to our organization from the Heart of High Point Fund.
HPCAV has had an almost 30 percent increase in offender contact and expressed need for assistance with food, utilities, rent, medicine and transportation in just the past two months. In the past quarter, HPCAV provided just over $3000 in assistance to our focused deterrence offenders and their families. The continued tight employment market and the end of many short-term jobs has meant additional challenges for our clients. Providing this limited assistance has strained our budget as well.
Thankfully, the Heart of High Point Fund gave us and other local non-profit agencies the opportunity to apply for extra funds for the end of the calendar year. Our organization was awarded $3500 which will balances our budget and will help us meet the current pressing needs.
We are grateful for the continued community support as we work to make High Point a safe place for everyone!
What happens when you teach someone how to measure wood, use a power tool to cut it and then put the cut pieces together? You get a birdhouse, of course!
Birdhouses, cabinetry, shelving, a house…these are a few of the building projects that have been created by participants in the Life Construction Program of High Point Community Against Violence. Started in 2011 by local contractor Ed Kimsey, the Life Construction Program is teaching usable skills to individuals who have been through the notification process and who show a desire to change their lives and behavior.
Laying tile in a sunroom
Our builders are learning how to adhere to a time schedule, to let someone know if they are going to be late. Going to job sites to meet homeowners gives them “real life” practice in dressing and behaving appropriately, communicating with potential clients and understanding how to put together a cost estimate. They also learn the importance of leaving a job site cleaner then it was when you arrived.
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits is the sense of purpose and accomplishment that comes from seeing a job through, successfully, from start to finish.
The funds earned through these construction jobs goes back into the Program. Participants who do the work are paid, which helps them meet some of their financial obligations, in addition to learning how to manage their money.
The Life Construction Program is adding on! There are birdhouses now being sold at Ashley Interiors on South Elm Street in High Point. Another area retailer has asked for some shelving units that will be for sale in her store, frequented by college students. Also on the “jobs to do” list: repairing a rental house, upfitting a new tattoo parlor in Greensboro and completing additional cabinetry jobs for homes and garages.
If you are interested in any of our products or have an idea for a custom project, please contact Ed Kimsey at 336-382-5534.
The day to day work of building relationships, guiding our clients in skill building and positive decision making, and supporting their efforts to change their lives continues. High Point Community Against Violence welcomes your participation in our monthly meetings as well as at our notifications or “call ins.”
The next monthly meeting will be April 10, 8:00 a.m. at the Washington Terrace Park community center on Gordon Road. See our Events page for all upcoming meetings.
The notification meeting will be on May 7 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers of City Hall on Hamilton Street.
Our High Point Offender Focused Domestic Violence Initiative is a top twenty finalist for the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge. The top prize is $5 million, with four other $1 million prizes awarded. Our final application has been submitted and we should hear something in April. Keep your fingers crossed. This would be an incredible opportunity to share this innovative work around the country.
In the meantime the owner of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, is launching a Fan Favorite contest. Check out our video and vote for the High Point initiative, share it with family, friends, and everyone you know!
The voting began February 21. The URL is www.huffingtonpost.com/mayors-challenge.
Voting runs for two weeks – from February 20 through March 6 – and the Fan Favorite winner will be announced at approximately the same time as the five Mayors Challenge winners. Note: you can only vote once and you do not need to register to vote.
The winning city will receive a $50K Services grant from IBM to support implementation as well as featured coverage and promotion from The Huffington Post, including a monthly front page column for its mayor for a year and an interview with Arianna Huffington on Huff Post Live (HuffPo’s video news platform).
This is our chance to showcase how innovative High Point is and get national recognition. Let them hear us! Vote and tell everyone you know to do the same!
High Point’s “Part 1” crime was down 12% for 2012. Part 1 includes: murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson. As we continue to work with local, state and national law enforcement agencies, our community partners and the people of High Point, we will continue to whittle away at violence in High Point. 2012 was a good year!
This graphic is the most recent analysis of violent crime trends in High Point. As you can see, our crime rate has gone down 54%, while our population has risen 39%. We are pleased that our community, working together with our law enforcement partners, is making our city a safer place for everyone to live and work.
We did the math last week and since 1998, High Point Police Department, NC Probation and Parole and HP Community Against Violence have confronted 1109 individuals with our message to “Stop the Violence.” We work in five areas and here is the numbers break down for each:
Repeat violent crime offenders: 975
Gang and robbery offenders: 15
Juvenile offenders: 24
Drug Market intervention offenders: 80
Domestic Violence offenders, our newest area: 15
Meanwhile, High Point’s population has grown 39% while our violent crime has gone down 54%. Our rate of recidivism is approximately 10%. That means about 90% of our offenders do not reoffend.
This means High Point is a safer place for everyone!
HPCAV is fortunate to be associated with a dedicated volunteer, Ed Kimsey. Ed created the Life Construction Program, based on his 25 plus years of experience as a residential builder, and has partnered with the clients of HPCAV to make it a reality.
Per Ed, “The construction industry is full of people who struggle with the basics of life: money management; addictions; lack of driver’s licenses; family problems; homelessness; the list goes on and on. I began to visualize a program which would enable participants to learn a skill that would allow them the opportunity to better themselves at the ‘process of living.’ These are things that most people take for granted. I compare the concept to building a house “as with a life, one must begin building with a strong foundation.”
How did it all come together? First, Ed had a great idea. Then, a local bank offered a building lot opportunity. Shortly after that, Ed guided some HPCAV clients in building a shed for the Southside Community Garden and saw both talent and a desire to work! He realized he had potential construction workers for the house. An interested individual agreed to lease with an option to purchase. A loan was approved; the lot was purchased and construction of a home began in January, 2012.
The house is well underway as is the personal development of our workers! Ed has noticed that the guys he is working with are taking pride – in their newly learned skills, in the home they are building and in themselves as contributing members of our community.
More opportunities are needed! Lots are available for building, but we need buyers or donations to purchase the lots.
If you are interested in supporting this effort in some way, please contact Jim Summey at 336-870-1114.
One week after our first Offender Focused Domestic Violence Initiative “call in” or notification meeting and NONE of the twelve participants has re-offended! Four have called the office and will be helped by Jim, moving on to more intensive counseling if they ask for it.
Also in the past week, four individuals whose prior offenses were so severe they were not given an opportunity to “hear the message” have been prosecuted. Their sentences ranged from 14 months to 44 months. This may not sound like much, but these sentences are two to four times LONGER than they would have been in the past. Why? Because our prosecutors and judges are very supportive of this effort and they are staying on top of it.