£100,000 is being offered to faith groups across the West Midlands to help them deliver activities aimed at preventing and reducing violence.
The region’s Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) is making the money available to faith groups, through the Faith Alliance, who are working to support young people, families and communities at risk of violence.
The Faith Alliance is a multi-faith and community-led network with more than 450 members, set up by the VRP. It has championed the role of faith communities in helping to reduce and prevent violence.
The new fund will help strengthen existing work, but will also provide opportunities for new projects too.
Proposed initiatives, requested by young people and communities, will empower emerging young faith leaders, train volunteer mentors, and create more safe spaces for young people to meet.
The VRP is a multi-agency partnership funded by the Home Office. The funding has been made available to support the delivery of the recently launched Faith Alliance Strategy and Action Plans.
Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Our faith communities play a crucial role, in preventing and reducing violence and keeping our young people safe.
“For many, faith is what brings families and communities together, it provides strength in times of need and is a source of comfort.
“The Faith Alliance is made up of a range of partners, doing exceptional work, to create cohesion in our communities and provide support when serious incidents occur.
“I am delighted we are able to invest in this important work.”
Revd Dr Carver Anderson, member of the Faith Alliance Executive Group and Executive Director of Bringing Hope Charity, said: “The Faith Alliance, a model pioneered in the West Midlands, is also influencing violence reduction policy across the country.
“Recently, inspired by the West Midlands, both the London Violence Reduction Unit and West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership launched initiatives to promote the role of faith communities in reducing violence.
“The Faith Alliance also featured as good practice in the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ recent In Focus briefing on the topic of ‘innovative and effective approaches to tackling serious violence.”
