BROCKTON, MA – According to police reports, shootings in Brockton were up 35% in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and to address this rise in homicides in Brockton, the Boston-based Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI) is supporting the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center’s (SSRAC) Surviving Homicides Aftermath Resources Education and Support (SHARES) program in formalizing their process and network. SHARES, which focuses on responding to families after a homicide in Plymouth and Bristol Counties and training institutional stakeholders on best practices, was launched yesterday with a virtual training session.

The training and support systems will improve the City’s ability to provide resources, education, and support to Brockton residents in the aftermath of a homicide. The system will also ultimately help the City develop a blueprint for combating the rise in shootings by offering emergency responses for families and loved ones who lose someone to homicide.

“Our primary focus is making sure that 2020 stays an anomaly, that increases in shootings and incidents of homicide don’t become the norm,” said Sandra Blatchford, SSRAC Director. “We know that violence can leave life-long scars, but evidence also shows that providing resources to individuals and communities does make a difference. This training is a step in the right direction, and the subsequent resources provided by our organization to the community will make Brockton safer.”

SSRAC, which has assisted survivors of domestic violence and their families for more than 40 years, is a non-profit community center whose focus is to create a confidential, welcoming environment where victims can feel safe to make empowering choices in their lives.

This training and network are modeled after the LDBPI’s partnership with the City of Boston, which is founded on trainings that instill the value of peace, and equips stakeholders with the skills needed to respond equitably and effectively to families dealing with murder, trauma, grief and loss. It will use techniques and materials such as the LDBPI’s Survivors’ Burial and Resource Guide to support families after the murder of a loved one. LDBPI’s training for its allies deepens the partner’s commitment to peacemaking and provides skills to address institutional racism and violence in their communities and examine the root causes of violence.

“The Institute has developed best practices and survivor-centered training to equip individuals with the emotional, social, and financial tools to support Survivors of Homicide Victims, starting with the death notification,” said LDBPI Founder, President, and CEO Clementina Chéry. “With our one-of-a-kind training in place serving as a model, Brockton will have a whole new set of tools to respond to homicides and offer support to its residents.”

“Brockton needs to always be there for survivors of violence, and especially during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Karen Fabrizio, SHARES, Program Coordinator. “COVID has had a marked impact on life stressors across the board, and people are increasingly turning to organizations, like ours, for support. We are proud to build upon our relationship with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute to provide support and guidance to our community members.”

“It is so important for families to have access to the resources the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute offers in Boston. I’m so happy to hear that SHARES is responding to families after homicide and coordinating resources so that families do not have to travel for support like I did when my son was killed,” said Sharon Baker, mother of Tyrelle Robert Baker, founder of Life After Death.

This resource network will provide survivors of homicide victims with information and support, including referrals to social service providers, police, the District Attorney’s Office, Victim’s Compensation, and substance abuse programs. It will also provide individual and group counseling to family members and loved ones and collect and maintain statistical reports to provide useful data. It will enable Brockton providers to connect with a highly skilled and knowledgeable providers’ network serving Survivors of Homicide Victims throughout the state.

To successfully address homicide, Brockton must invest in social services that support survivors, that starts with death notification and continues with counseling, education, and health care — including mental health/spiritual wellness.

“We are grateful for our partners in the City of Brockton, Plymouth County DA’s Office, South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center, Life After Death and so many others for their bold charge to create the conditions in which we can work together to create safer and more supportive communities,” said Melinda Kneeland, Executive Director of Community Connections of Brockton and The Family Center.

Over the past year, there’s been an increase in homicides in some of the nation’s largest cities, including Boston, which has seen a nearly 40% increase in murders. In response, the LDBPI is increasing its efforts to partner with cities worldwide to share its resources and knowledge, including partnerships in California, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Florida, and Canada.

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About the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute 

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, founded in 1994, is a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss. The vision of the LDBPI is to create and sustain communities where all people are valued and all families can live in peace. The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s programs and services are grounded in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) social-ecological framework that interventions are needed at multiple levels to interrupt cycles of violence. The heart of their work is with families impacted by murder on both sides. Their impact extends to community and society through services, advocacy, and training.

About the South Shore Resources and Advocacy Center

The South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center (formerly South Shore Women’s Resource Center) is a victim service, not-for-profit, community-based program that has been assisting survivors of domestic violence for over 40 years. SSRAC is a program of Southeast Family Services, which believes that all people have the right to live free from violence and abuse. They provide free and confidential support, advocacy, prevention, and educational programs, working with both children and adults. This includes Healing, Education, Arts, Reconnecting Together (H.E.A.R.T), a branch of their overall program, which provides services specifically for impacted children. Visit their website at www.ssrac.org.