WATCH NOW: Four Chicago Communities to Scale Up Violence Intervention Programs

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago CEO Teny Gross addresses the crowd at a “Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago” convening event on Monday, June 17, 2024 in Austin.

Four Chicago communities are moving forward with plans to expand community violence intervention (CVI) programs under a larger effort entitled “Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago” or “SC2.” The news was announced at a convening on Monday, June 17, 2024 at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC) in Austin.

Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Little Village, and Austin are among the neighborhoods represented in the next phase of the scaling plan, which aims to coordinate efforts between CVI groups, philanthropic, business, and government leaders in order to reduce gun violence across the city. The broader plan was first announced in February.

INVC CEO Teny Gross, Alliance of Local Service Organizations (ALSO) Executive Director Lori Crowder, Breakthrough Executive Director Yolanda Fields, and New Life Centers Executive Director Matt DeMateo were all on hand to represent their organizations, which will lead the scaling efforts. Their organizations will receive multi-million-dollar, multi-year funding investments that will be shared with other neighborhood partners to support scaling CVI. They will also apply for the growing share of public dollars to further expand CVI.

Gross said in a statement, “Chicago has the most extensive network of CVI groups in the country. We have the civilian architecture in place, and we are ready to take this work to a new level. It is only possible because of enlightened public and private sector leadership.”

Fields added, “We’ve spent several years developing our approach to reducing gun violence and we now want to serve more people. We’re very grateful to all of the public and private sector partners who are providing the resources needed to create a safer Garfield Park.”

The four neighborhoods will join North Lawndale, which began scaling up CVI programs in 2022. Two additional communities, Englewood and New City, will continue to build capacity to develop scaling plans.

Over the next five years, SC2 hopes to serve at least half of the estimated 20,000 Chicagoans at highest risk of shooting or being shot, while reducing shootings and homicides by 50 percent. The ten-year goal is to serve 75 percent, while reducing shootings and homicides by 75 percent.

Watch the convening below.

Video courtesy of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago