WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The Wichita City Council voted Tuesday to approve $1.6 million in funding for the Cure Violence program, a critical initiative aimed at reducing violent crime, including shootings, in the city. The funding, drawn from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, will support the program through 2026.

The Cure Violence program, which began operating in September, aims to address the root causes of violence by using public health methods to prevent and interrupt violent behavior before it escalates. In its first month of operation, the program served 61 families through social service referrals and outreach efforts. He also intervened in 18 incidents, including five gun violence mediations.

During Tuesday’s meeting, community members gave emotional testimonies; most express support for continued funding of the program.

“You ask those parents who just lost a child at QuikTrip if they would give that money to have their child back — they would say yes,” said one community member.

After more than an hour of deliberation, the board approved the funding on a 4-3 vote. While most board members expressed support for the program, concerns about the reliance on temporary ARPA funds raised questions about long-term sustainability.

District 5 Councilman JV Johnston was one of the voices expressing caution. He expressed concern about what will happen when ARPA funds run out, especially as the city faces a budget deficit in the coming years.

“Will the government come back and do it from our general operating budget? I’m not sure that’s going to happen,” Johnston said.

Despite those reservations, other board members were eager to point to the program’s early successes as a reason to keep the funding flowing.

District 1 Councilman Brandon Johnson highlighted the positive results of the program in a short amount of time.

“We are already successful. They had a series of interventions; they talked about a 30-day ceasefire that they were able to negotiate. It’s real stuff,” Johnson said. “Who knows what would have happened if the ceasefire had not happened?”

Johnson added that he sees the program as not just a nonprofit initiative, but an essential extension of the city’s crime prevention efforts.

“This has to be permanent funding,” he stressed. “A percentage of the WPD budget must go to violence interrupters. I think it should be a permanent thing.”

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