Supporting the funding of CVI work that’s really going to deliver long-term, systematic changes for our communities.
Denise Villamil, executive director, Southern California Crossroads
Community violence intervention (CVI) programs are an effective part of a public health approach to reducing community violence and require long-term planning and purposeful engagement in the communities in which they operate to realize their full potential. This approach to interrupting cycles of violence has proved to be one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to reduce community violence. Studies have shown that, when faithfully implemented, for every $1 invested in a CVI program, a community can save up to $41 in medical and criminal legal expenses. Despite this evidence, CVI programs often must do this critical, lifesaving work on shoestring budgets and with uncertain fiscal futures. However, recent investments in CVI programs are encouraging.
At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Justice under the Biden administration created the Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI) in 2022 to award grants and to provide technical assistance to CVI programs nationwide. Building on this, the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act allocated $250 million to the CVIPI over five years. States such as California, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maryland have prioritized CVI programs in their state budgets. For example, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services directed $12.6 million to local CVI programs in fiscal year 2023. Additionally, since California enacted an excise tax on guns and ammunition to support funding for violence intervention and prevention programs through Assembly Bill 28, lawmakers in seven states have introduced similar legislation. City leaders are also prioritizing CVI programs in their budgets. Philadelphia, for example, allocated more than $184 million in fiscal year 2023 to its “Roadmap to Safer Communities,” which includes investments to expand existing CVI and hospital-based violence intervention programs.
Although these investments are significant, more coordinated and reliable funding at the local, state, and federal levels is needed to ensure CVI programs are appropriately supported in their pursuit to transform communities most affected by violence.