When people think of violence, they often imagine a single event: the incident itself. But for victims who survive acts of violence, the story doesn’t end when the police report is filed. There are medical bills, counseling sessions (for those who can afford them), and time off work. The expenses pile up alongside the trauma.
I write these words not as a policy expert or politician but as someone who has lived through the aftermath of violence. I am a survivor. The scars I carry are not only physical but also emotional, financial, and deeply personal. That is what makes the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Trust Fund Act being considered by Michigan legislators, which includes investments in victim compensation funds and community-based programs to prevent violence before it happens, so critical.
Beyond the trauma victims of violence experience, there’s also the overwhelming stress of having to handle the aftermath. Often, families are left trying to fill the gap when a parent can’t work or when a loved one is suddenly gone. Court processes take time. Support feels like an afterthought.
The Public Safety and Violence Prevention Trust Fund Act recognizes that victims should not be punished twice: first by the crime itself and secondly by financial devastation. But some of the current budget language has reduced funding for Community Violence Intervention and provided only a small increase to the Victim Rights Fund. What Michigan needs is for legislators to recognize that both initiatives need to be funded at a level that will actually make a difference in people’s lives.
This month, Michigan’s first Trauma Recovery Center (TRC), located in Detroit, celebrated one year of addressing survivors’ urgent needs with compassion and practical support – from distributing over 100 gun locks and covering essentials like car seats and groceries, to providing nearly 400 Lyft rides and assisting victims with healthcare, housing, and employment. Together, these efforts show a comprehensive approach to safety, stability, and dignity for survivors in our community. It also underscores why lawmakers should pass a budget that includes $2 million dollars a year to fund the TRC at Henry Ford hospital.
Public safety programs shouldn’t rely solely on law enforcement or incarceration. Instead, they should empower trusted community leaders – mentors, counselors, and neighborhood groups – to reach people before violence erupts. Over the past year, the Detroit TRC has provided safe spaces, conflict resolution, and alternatives that address the root causes of crime: poverty, trauma, lack of opportunity and cycles of retaliation.
If programs like these had been more accessible in my neighborhood, perhaps my story – and the stories of many others – would have been different. Maybe I wouldn’t have had to spend years trying to rebuild my sense of safety. Maybe cycles could have been broken.
Some may ask why their tax dollars go to this. My answer is simple: because we all pay the cost of violence. We pay in higher medical bills, in overcrowded emergency rooms, and in the fear that grips neighborhoods. Investing in victims and in prevention is not just the compassionate thing to do, it’s the most practical.
Survivors of violence need the opportunity to recover – not providing that is another form of punishment they don’t deserve. The Public Safety and Violence Prevention Trust Fund Act puts actions to words: We see you, we hear you, and we will not abandon you.
Safety is not a privilege; it is a right. Michigan lawmakers in both the House and Senate who understand that will move us closer to making that right a reality by passing and fully funding this legislation.
Shari Ware is the founder of the nonprofit organization Still Standing Against Domestic Violence based in Detroit. She studied at the Detroit Bible Institute and Marygrove. As a survivor of domestic violence, Ware has been vocal in advocating for trauma-informed services and systemic support for survivors.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Viewpoint: Now more than ever, community violence intervention in Michigan matters
Reporting by Shari Ware / Lansing State Journal
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