Trauma Therapy Center To Open In Harlem Amid Violence Uptick

HARLEM, NY — A neighborhood nonprofit will open a new therapy center treating trauma from violence after receiving an $8 million grant from the Manhattan District Attorney's office, D.A. Cyrus Vance, Jr. announced Monday.

The Center for Trauma Innovation will open in East Harlem and serve Northern Manhattan, Vance's office said. It will be the first of its kind, devoted to communities of color who face disproportionate rates of violence but have less access to trauma services.

"Untreated trauma and exposure to trauma play a significant role in perpetuating cycles of violence," the D.A.'s office said in a news release. "The CTI will address the needs of individuals exposed to trauma by enhancing and expanding trauma-informed and trauma-specific services and resources."

The center will be run by Exodus Transitional Community, a Harlem-based organization that works with people affected by the criminal justice system. It will be housed in Exodus's existing 3rd Avenue headquarters, and will be funded over about four years, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the effort.

Vance noted that New York is in the midst of an uptick in gun violence, which hasn't spared Harlem — reports of shootings have increased in all five police precincts that cover the neighborhood compared to this time last year, according to NYPD data.

"Long-term, transformative change in our justice system requires substantial community reinvestment that closes the gap between law enforcement budgets and social service expenditures," Vance said.

The D.A.'s office cited research showing that surviving witnessing abuse can lead to arrest or incarceration later in life, including one 2012 study which found almost half of the inmates in 10 U.S. prisons had experienced physical trauma in childhood.

The CTI will treat patients and also train city agencies and other community organizations to improve how they work with people who have experienced trauma, the D.A.'s office said. It will also operate a van to respond to crises soon after they happen and work with people on the ground.

Money for the initiative comes from multimillion dollar settlements that the office reached with international banks who violated U.S. sanctions against Iran and other countries, the Journal reported.

In 2014, Vance announced that $250 million of the settlement cash would fund a new Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, focused on preventing crime, helping victims and boosting community services.