FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2023
MEDIA CONTACTS
Jeff Lueders, Media and Communications, jlueders@ci.tacoma.wa.us, (253) 591-5152
Megan Snow, Media and Communications, msnow@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 219-7083
Tacoma Cease Fire to Partner with the City of Tacoma for Community Trauma Response Services
Tacoma, Wash. – The Tacoma City Council will recognize the partnership between the City of Tacoma and JCW & Associates to implement a community trauma response team (CTRT) with a proclamation at the Council Meeting on March 21 at 5 p.m. in Council Chamber (747 Market Street, 1st floor).
“Implementation of this team has taken time as we worked to find the right partners, and I am thrilled to see the program in action,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards. “I want to thank those who have persistently demanded a community-level response in times of crisis, as well as our Community Police Advisory Committee members for their dedication to seeing this work through.”
JCW & Associates has experience through their work, Tacoma Cease Fire, which has been working with Tacoma communities since 2019. Collectively their team has over 30 years of experience in trauma response. Their field of expertise include, but are not limited to, violence abatement, reduction and awareness, community mobilization, conflict mediation, teenage prostitution, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, advocacy, ministry, and being a liaison between law enforcement agencies, faith-based organizations and community.
Through this partnership, the community trauma response team will:
- Respond to crisis after a traumatic incident to assist the community in healing, and to provide a safe place for the community to express their opinions and concerns.
- Support and give referrals designed to offer immediate, compassionate and practical resources for community members impacted by trauma and serious loss.
- Focus on the community’s emotional needs while the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) and Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) focus on the incident response.
The team will consist of 15 to 20 culturally relevant community advocates, who sign up for a weekly call time and community volunteers will complete an initial crisis response training that will be identified by the respondent program, successfully complete a background check, and participate in ongoing monthly supervision and training.
Once trained, the team will be available to respond to traumatic incidents in Tacoma.
To volunteer or learn more contact apply@jcwandassociates.com. The proclamation can be watched in-person at the Tacoma Municipal Building (747 Market Street, 1st Floor), on ZOOM or streamed on TV Tacoma and Facebook.
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