“CVI” is a new term, but cities have relied on the street outreach of credible messengers to interrupt escalating tensions and prevent retaliation for generations. These frontline public safety workers’ deep community ties enable them to reach people law enforcement cannot.
Unprecedented federal investments have helped fuel recent growth in CVI programs. For example, many cities leveraged pandemic-era relief funds to start or expand CVI programs or to create local offices of violence prevention, which improve coordination between these programs and the broader public safety ecosystem. As of March 2024, an estimated $377 million of pandemic relief dollars had funded 231 CVI projects.
Street outreach programs address the root causes of gun violence by connecting high-risk individuals with housing, healing resources, case management and employment services. When properly implemented, modern CVI programs can reduce gun homicides by as much as 60 percent. And for every dollar invested in these programs, they can save taxpayers up to $41 in medical and criminal legal expenses.
For example, gun violence in Detroit is dropping by double digits for the second year in a row after the city awarded six organizations federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as part of its ShotStoppers CVI program. Thanks to increased coordination between the city and groups such as Garden Pathways, homicides have gone down in Bakersfield, Calif., every year since 2022 and gun victimizations are down 39 percent this year. Homicides in Philadelphia have fallen by nearly 70 percent compared to three years ago after the city formed an interagency task force to analyze gun violence data and invest federal, state and local funds to support hospital-based programs and CVI programs where frontline outreach workers connect individuals with housing, employment and healing resources.
Despite growing evidence showing that investing in CVI saves lives and money, these programs often operate on shoestring budgets and are frequently forced to justify their very existence. Outreach workers risk their lives spreading anti-violence messages and offering a different path to individuals at elevated risk for involvement in gun violence. Without adequate funding, these workers cannot connect vulnerable community members with the tools they need to make behavior changes and re-establish a sense of hope and connectedness in their lives.
The administration has repeatedly recognized the need. In 2022, the Department of Justice created the Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative— the first federal grant program for CVI efforts. The program quickly doubled its award amount when Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. In total, the Biden-Harris administration has secured $400 million in funding for this program since its launch.
But alarmingly, many of the programs either established or expanded by these federal funds will soon be at risk of layoffs and even closures. With two major sources of federal CVI funds expiring in 2026 — ARPA and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — increased federal investments are more urgent than ever before.
If passed by Congress, Nevada Democrat Steven Horsford’s Break the Cycle of Violence Act would establish the first federal community violence intervention office under the Department of Health and Human Services. It would also administer $5 billion in grants over the span of five years to regional CVI programs and would provide an additional $1.5 billion to workforce training and job opportunities for young adults within these programs. The funds proposed in this bill would help ensure our nation’s most vulnerable cities are able to implement violence intervention and prevention work, and that the people on the frontlines of this work are appropriately compensated.
In the meantime, instead of passing stronger gun laws and making increased investments in addressing the root causes of violence, Republicans are attempting to eliminate funding for public health approaches to reducing gun violence and defund federal law enforcement focused on solving violent crimes. In June, a spending bill advanced by House Republicans proposed nearly $1 billion in cuts to the Department of Justice’s budget, which would have eliminated funding for all CVI programs as well as thousands of law enforcement positions. The bill also zeroed out funds for government prevention research on firearm injuries and deaths.
In light of this, and recognizing the importance of expanding violence intervention programs, an increasing number of states have decided to be proactive instead of waiting to see if Congress can pass the Break the Cycle of Violence Act. For example, Pennsylvania’s latest budget includes $45 million for its Violence Intervention and Prevention program and an additional $11.5 million for regional afterschool CVI programs. Michigan’s budget included $7.8 million for CVI services and related grants. Florida is currently accepting applications for a new CVI grant program established with $2.5 million in general funds. California took an innovative approach by imposing an 11 percent excise tax on firearms and ammunition, which is expected to raise $160 million a year. The funds will then go toward CVI programs, school safety initiatives and resources for gun violence survivors.
Cities and counties that invest in CVI programs have seen record-breaking declines in gun-related violence and deaths. In fact, this year the United States experienced the lowest “summer surge” in gun violence since 2018. Police and prosecutors play an important role in the public safety ecosystem, but we cannot arrest our way out of a public health crisis — and law enforcement is increasingly supportive of CVI programs. Police officers recognize that they cannot do this work alone. But without additional funding for these violence intervention programs to supplement or replace what will soon expire, cities across America can expect to see more retaliatory shootings and higher homicide rates in the years to come.
To avoid undoing the important progress that has been made, we need reliable and coordinated funding for CVI programs at the local, state and federal levels. Time is running out — if we don’t invest in safety now, our communities will continue to pay the ultimate price.
Nick Wilson is the senior director for Gun Violence Prevention at the Center for American Progress.
Governing’s opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing’s editors or management.
