From WH Fact Sheet: Invest in evidence-based community violence interventions

We are proud to be part of this Community Violence Intervention initiative, and at the announcement this morning. This is the section of the Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gun Crime and Ensure Public Safety released today:

Community violence intervention (CVI) programs have been shown to reduce violence by as much as 60%. These programs are effective because they leverage trusted messengers who work directly with individuals most likely to commit gun violence, intervene in conflicts, and connect people to social, health and wellness, and economic services to reduce the likelihood of violence as an answer to conflict.

Last month, the Treasury Department announced that the American Rescue Plan’s $350 billion in state and local funding can be used to invest in evidence-based community violence interventions. The Department of Education also released guidance clarifying that ARP’s $122 billion in K-12 funds can be used for CVI strategies. To date, the Administration has transferred more than $190 billion of state and local recovery funds and $81 billion in education funds, and additional support is on the way.

Today, the President is announcing that the Administration will convene and support a CVI Collaborative of 15 jurisdictions that are committing to use a portion of their ARP funding or other public funding to increase investment in their CVI infrastructure, including to anticipate and respond to the potential rise in violence this summer. These jurisdictions include:

• Atlanta, GA

• Austin, TX

• Baltimore, MD

• Baton Rouge, LA

• Chicago, IL

• Detroit, MI

• King County, WA

• Los Angeles, CA

• Memphis, TN

• Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN

• Newark, NJ

• Philadelphia, PA

• Rapid City, SD

• St. Louis, MO

• Washington, DC

Over the next 18 months, the Administration will convene meetings with officials from these communities, facilitate peer-to-peer learning, and provide technical assistance. This effort will support both proven and new strategies that reduce gun violence and strengthen community-based infrastructure to enhance public safety for children, families, and communities and to advance equity.

A group of philanthropies that have been leaders on this issue will support this collaborative learning network by deploying CVI experts to provide training and technical assistance, identify best practices, integrate proven and innovative public-health approaches, and help local community-based organizations scale CVI efforts this summer and beyond. This group includes:

• Arnold Ventures

• The California Endowment

• Annie E. Casey Foundation

• Emerson Collective

• Ford Foundation

• Heising-Simons Foundation

• Joyce Foundation

• W.K. Kellogg Foundation

• Kresge Foundation

• The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

• Microsoft Corporation

• Open Society Foundations

• Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies

Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Julie Chavez Rodriguez will convene the first meeting of the CVI Collaborative soon. The President is calling on mayors across the country to follow the lead of these local officials by using their ARP funding or other public funds to launch and strengthen CVI programs in their communities.

Additionally, the Biden-Harris Administration will convene the first CVI Webinar Series event on June 23. The webinar series will bring together subject matter experts to discuss immediate steps communities and local organizations can take to reduce violence.

The Administration is continuing to seek a historic $5.2 billion investment in new grant funding for CVI programs through the American Jobs Plan and its FY22 discretionary budget request. The Administration is also executing on its announced changes to 26 programs across five agencies to make federal dollars and technical assistance available to CVI practitioners in the immediate term. For example, this month the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will publish guidance encouraging jurisdictions to use part of their Community Development Block Grant funds to support CVI efforts needed to combat violence as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In July and August, the Department of Education will publish guidance explaining that school districts can draw upon the $1.22 billion in Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants and $1.26 billion in 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants to support CVI programs that serve students. This funding will supplement American Rescue Plan funds, providing CVI programs with multiple potential funding streams to expand their work.