NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — We're following through on how the city of Newport News is committed to ending cycles of violence.
Newport News is dedicating $1.4 million annually to expand Hand in Hand, a violence intervention program based at Riverside Health.
Newport News mom January Serda knows all too well how important this funding is. She lost her 17-year-old son Justice to gun violence in 2021.
Watch previous coverage: Mom of slain Newport News teen helps other grieving families
Justice, a former football player at Woodside High School, was shot to death in a parking lot after a basketball game at Menchville High.
"My son left home to go to a basketball game and we never saw him again. It was just so sudden and so violent. School is a place you assume your child is safe" said January.
When Kelsey sat down with her in 2022—less than a year after she lost her son—the pain in her eyes as she choked up about losing her son was devastating.
Watch previous coverage: Mother of local football player killed in high school parking lot speaks out after mistrial
Since then, she's been raising awareness about gun violence prevention and is now a Violence Intervention Coordinator for Hand in Hand.
The program gives patients who have been shot, stabbed or beaten help and support they may not have. This includes making sure they have housing once they leave the hospital to relieving their financial burdens by covering hospital bills.
January tells me the money will go towards focusing on preventing retaliation violence and re-injury of victims, getting more violence intervention coordinators to help these victims, and expanding the program to include victims of domestic violence.
"We have to look at it from all sides. We need to understand that it is a public health crisis, now that gun violence is the leading cause of death of our youth," said January.
Riverside says Hand in Hand was created in response to the pressing need for trauma-informed, culturally competent care for victims of violent injuries.
Watch related coverage: Mayor Jones, Chief Drew condemn gun violence after teen boy is shot to death in Newport News
Virginia’s alarming statistics on gun violence underscore the urgency of such initiatives: Currently, Virginia ranks 29th in the nation for gun violence, with the 31st highest rates of gun homicides and assaults. A quarter of these homicides occur in Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News.
"The Hand in Hand Program represents a vital component of our city's broader strategy to combat violence and support our most vulnerable residents,” said Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones in announcing the funding. “Through this program's expansion, we are making significant strides toward fostering a safer and healthier community for everyone."
Between July of 2022 and June of 2023, the program helped 610 people. A third of those people were connected to community resources outside the hospital. January says none of the people who received help from the Hand in Hand program were re-injured.
For more information on the Hand in Hand program, click here.
