MPI Executive Director Vaughn Bryant Testifies Before State Public Safety Committees, Says Stable CVI Funding Is ‘Vital’

Claretian Associates Chief Executive Officer Angela Hurlock (far left) and Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Executive Director Vaughn Bryant (center) testify before the Illinois House Public Safety and Infrastructure Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Springfield.

Sustained funding for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) was on the agenda at a series of Illinois House and Senate Public Safety and Infrastructure Appropriations Committee hearings on Wednesday, April 9 in Springfield. Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Executive Director Vaughn Bryant and Claretian Associates Chief Executive Officer Angela Hurlock were in attendance to testify, requesting that the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) maintain its CVI funding, which allows community-based organizations across Chicago to provide essential services that keep residents safe.

Their request specifically narrowed in on a $6.8 million investment toward Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), a coalition of organizations focused on gun violence prevention in Chicago (Claretian Associates is one of 15 organizations representing CP4P). This investment would support street outreach and case management—making adjustments for the cost of living—and help maintain current operations.

Funding was initially secured during fiscal year 2020 through the Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA), a comprehensive, long-term approach to curbing gun violence. Community organizations across Chicago are doing this violence prevention work through youth programming, workforce development, trauma recovery, and other wraparound services.

“When CP4P received this funding in FY20, it stabilized the CVI field in Chicago. It led to the RPSA legislation to scale CVI across the state. It is the foundation on which the State’s Peacekeeper and Crisis Prevention and Response initiatives sit,” Bryant said. “It is vital that CVI has stable funding sources to allow our partners to continue doing the vital work of making our communities safer and thriving.”

He continued, “More than ever, we need stability in our communities. Given the uncertain time in which we live, our infrastructure will help keep calm when anxiety is high. There is a significant danger that violence rates in our communities will slip back to previous levels without the support of our work. Each client without support is another life that could potentially be ended by gun violence.”

CP4P has proven to be effective in the near decade since its inception. According to Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS), CP4P prevented at least 383 homicides and shootings in Chicago between 2017 and 2021. Additionally, Peacekeeper hotspots experienced a 41 percent overall reduction in victimizations from 2023 to 2024.

Looking ahead, the expansion of “Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago” (SC2) is in the implementation phase with four communities, which include North Lawndale, Little Village, Humboldt Park, and Austin. The plan, initially announced in February 2024, is a coordinated effort between CVI groups, philanthropic, business, and government leaders who have a shared goal to reduce gun violence across the city.

The team at MPI’s Metropolitan Peace Academy is continuing to do the work of professionalizing the field of CVI. The site provides a host of trainings that certify Outreach Workers, Case Managers, and Victim Advocates across the network. Cross trainings are also offered to the Chicago Police Department and hospital/trauma center workers.

All this and more is only made possible by continuous financial support, publicly and privately. As noted by Bryant, current CVI efforts in Chicago are only reaching 20 percent of those at highest risk, leaving thousands of Chicagoans vulnerable to violence. 

“Having a stable funding source means that our partners can confidently plan for the future and continue to meet the needs of their communities. They can train and hire with assurance that their practitioners will be with them for years to come,” Bryant said. “It also means that those who use our services can be sure in knowing that our partners will be staples in the community and continue to serve them for the future.

“Stable funding means that our coalition can continue to meet and support more of these highest-risk neighbors and help them be safer, contributing members of our communities.”