CINCINNATI — For Tracey Black’s children and grandchildren, the Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses on Findlay Street in the West End have been an oasis.
“It can be a safe place right here,” she said. "(Kids) don’t want to hear negativity and see drugs over here, this over here, killing, this and that."
Black said they don't want to see it, but they unfortunately do.
Youth coordinators said Friday’s deadly shooting that killed an 11-year-old boy and injured several other children is making staff at the House double down on their work.
“Whether it’s socioeconomically, whether it’s cognitively, whether it’s in literacy, where it’s in social-emotionally, we want to be that bridge for that gap,” she said.
She said community groups aren’t waiting for the city to fix this problem.
"We’re not the only people on politician’s agenda. So those of us who can be proactive, we definitely want to take a stand right now,” McGee said. “I’m not waiting that out.”
The Seven Hills Neighborhood House has a skating rink and a boxing rink for youth. The goal is to get youth off the street, said Sheila Nared, director of the Cincinnati Trauma Center.
But beyond getting kids into a safe space, she said it’s about making them feel comfortable enough to say what they need.
“The community knows solutions that work and we are ready to implement it,” Nared said. “We have the capacity to bring it off the ground.”
Nared is fundraising to complete construction of a separate building for the trauma center.
When complete, she can offer victims of violence a place away from the scene of an incident in their neighborhood. Nared said that separation is very important.
“The fact that why have to keep on seeing it again, just getting re-traumatized and re-traumatized, they have to have somewhere else to go,” she said.
Back at the trauma center, where Nared has been working with clients on their mental health, attendance among youth has been up following the deadly weekend shooting.
The hope among organizational leaders is that people’s eyes will be open to the resources already available in their community, and that city leaders will help further their operations.
“I really see everyone being open to suggestions now,” Nared said. “We’re going to take this opportunity and we’re going to run with it.”
