On Monday, the Orlando City Council will consider the expansion of the Community Violence Intervention (CVI) initiative thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Office of Justice. The grant will allow the program to expand from five neighborhoods to eight neighborhoods.
The city launched the evidence-based CVI initiative in November 2022 with the goal of reducing and preventing gun violence. Initially work was focused in the neighborhoods of Carver Shores, Holden Heights, Mercy Drive and Parramore and was expanded to Rosemont in March 2023. This proposed expansion will move the program into the neighborhoods of Lake Mann, Richmond Heights and Signal Hill.
This project is a partnership with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition who assists with hiring, training and overseeing the street outreach team, called Neighborhood Change Associates (NCAs). The NCAs are individuals with previous lived experience with gun violence and who have lived in these respective communities. Through intensive mentorship with individuals identified as likely to be, or who have been, impacted by gun violence they work to break that cycle and connect them with services like mental health, career readiness, education, opportunities, civic engagement, housing, and others. This wraparound approach guides program participants away from gun violence and toward being productive members of society.
Through a third-party analysis, done by the Center for Global Healthy Cities, of data* collected through the initiative, the project has shown early success and positive impacts, including –
- Firearm homicides are down by 20%.
- Non-fatal shootings are down by 36%.
- Saved taxpayers
*Data is city-wide from November 2022 – October 2023, comparing one full program year to the year prior.
Additional partners of the program include Advance Peace, Live Free, No Limit Health and Education and Operation New Hope.
