JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new program was launched Tuesday to make Jacksonville safer by helping possible gang members change their lives. 

Operation Safe Passage designates certain churches as places people involved in gang or group violence can go to turn their lives around. This comes four days after 7-year-old Breon Allen was shot and killed due to gang violence, police said. Earlier this month, a fifth suspect was arrested in the death of Jacksonville rapper Foolio and prosecutors call his death part of a gang war.

“This is a spot where if you find yourself in trouble, if you find yourself in need of help and you don’t know where to go, this is one of the places you can come,” said Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters.

On Tuesday, an event at Builders of the Faith Community Church officially launched the program and a sign was put on the door, designating it a part of Operation Safe Passage.

“When they come here they can find the outreach, they can find the support that they need to start getting on the road to a life that’s going to be productive so they don’t find themselves in prison, which is part of our responsibility,” Waters said. “They don’t find themselves in prison, they don’t find themselves, frankly speaking, dead because of the violence that happens sometimes on these streets.”

The leaders of Operation Safe Passage said pastors must go through “strenuous” training in order to join the program. JSO said the program is volunteer-based and the churches involved do not receive payment. Their goal is to help people, especially young people, who are involved or at risk of being involved in group or gang violence.

“Safe Passage offers things like getting your driver’s license, helping you get your GED,” said Pastor Robert Brown at Builders of the Faith Community Church. “Family may need someplace, we’ve even helped relocate families. We’ve done several different things that relate to touching the felt need of an individual.”

Part of JSO’s gang violence intervention involves going to people’s homes.

“We visit you, we go to your house because we know what you’re doing and we give you an opportunity to get your life right,” said Garland Scott, outreach and support manager with JSO’s gang violence intervention. “We’ve done that over 1,076 times already. Every Thursday we go out and we do the scan and if you want to get some help, some assistance, we do it.”

Waters expects to see an impact from this program because he said the people leading it are already doing the work.

“Whenever they knock, when we answer, we’re ready to serve,” Brown said.

Their goal is to have 50 churches become a part of Operation Safe Passage. JSO said right now 16 congregations are specially trained to join the program.