BALTIMORE — One program is proving second chances changes lives and hopefully saves lives as well.
On Wednesday the Baltimore Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, or MONSE, announced the latest results of their group violence reduction strategy.
The program aims to stop gun violence at it's core.
It offers people most at-risk of getting involved with gun violence, ways to change their life through youth advocate programs, or 'YAP'.
One man told his story of how it changed his life.
"Last year, 2022, a family member of mine was murdered in the city of Baltimore. It was a hard pill for me to swallow. And to this day it's still hard for me to swallow. They say God will take something from you and give you something in replacement. And I know that YAP was the second thing that gave me a second chance," said Kiko Johnson.
MONSE says thanks to programs like YAP, crime has dropped in West Baltimore this year by over 45% compared to last year.
