ROANOKE, Va. – “What’s good, Roanoke?” Sheriff Antonio Hash said.
Building a Roanoke that’s a beacon of resilience, collaboration, and hope — that’s what Roanoke City leaders are hoping to achieve with their newest initiative.
“We are all moving in the same direction,” Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea said.
Tuesday they announced ‘What’s Good, Roanoke?” — a project that’s been in the works since 2019.
This comes during a year when 26 people have died from gun violence so far.
According to City Councilman Joe Cobb, it focuses on prevention, intervention, and response to violence.
“A key, evidence-based strategy to reducing violence, and youth violence in particular, is connecting families and youth with programs that enhance their growth and wellbeing,” Cobb said.
“What’s Good, Roanoke?” is, in part, a website meant to connect the community to resources and community groups. Cobb describes it as a “holistic approach.”
“It’s holistic in the sense that it’s comprehensive, it engages all of the partners you see here. It focuses on prevention, intervention, and response. The holistic approach is designed for the wellbeing and wholeness of the people we’re reaching out to,” Cobb said.
Leaders say this will bring a tangible difference.
“The tangible difference goes back to what we heard from several of our speakers, people getting involved. This group of people in this room who have been doing this for years can’t do this alone. We have to have community buy-in,” Cobb said.
Cobb tells us he knows there is no one-size-fits-all all solution.
“Will we see an end to gun violence tomorrow? No, we will not. I think we all believe and are committed to reducing the numbers that we’re seeing,” Cobb said.
Funding came from ARPA funds and the Gun Violence Intervention Program grant.
To learn more, visit the campaign’s website here.