Milwaukee County's Credible Messengers program continues success as violence intervention tool

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — County Executive David Crowley hosted a roundtable Monday, Jan. 26, discussing a Milwaukee County program that has turned around the lives of children in the juvenile justice system.

The meeting at the Coggs Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center marked five years since the launch of Milwaukee County's Credible Messengers program, using community-based agencies to mentor and engage at-risk youth.

"This is a crucial conversation with partners who are working on the front line, who are working with young people and families to try and reduce gun violence among youth," said David Muhammed, deputy director of Milwaukee County's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

National and local leaders in community violence intervention described how they've used shared experiences to bolster positive change.

"This isn't a job - this is a lifestyle for many individuals who work within this space, because they're not working nine to five, they're working consistently on the clock," Crowley said.

The Credible Messengers program is focused on getting to the root cause of violence to foster healing. They work with families to provide proper support systems and ensure young people stay on the right path.

"One of the things they really need, it's love," said Amir Grooms, outreach lead for 414Life. "We overthink some of the things that we think that they need, and it's just being there, being a voice."

The program's numbers show promise by reducing recidivism in the youth justice system.

"Last year, there were 199 youth served, and over 77% of them did not re-offend," Muhammed explained.

Advocates attribute the success to collaboration instead of competition. Prior to the creation of Credible Messengers, there was dysfunction between organizations.

Despite the impactful numbers, members of the program requesting more support - both mentally and fiscally - to stay ahead.

"We need greater assistance, greater partnership with our state and federal level partners to make sure that we are providing the necessary resources in this space," Crowley said.

The county is working to leverage behavioral health services and additional funding streams to expand the program's reach.

"We have a lot of young people in the community who are in need of this type of positive intervention to make lifelong change," Muhammed said.

Click here to learn more about Credible Messengers.