A GROWING PARTNERSHIP TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO
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Over the past two years, a coalition of more than 30 Chicago funders and foundations have joined together to reduce gun violence.
The coalition –
the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful communities (PSPC)
– was created in response to a level of gun violence in Chicago unseen since the 1990s. In 2016,
following a decade of progress in reducing gun violence, Chicago suffered more than 4,000 shootings and nearly 800 homicides.
Members of PSPC, which is supported by the Civic Consulting Alliance, are aligning their grantmaking to support four proven and promising approaches to reduce gun violence:
- Intervening with likely victims and perpetrators through street outreach, supportive services, constructive policing interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, and jobs
- Increasing legitimacy for and effectiveness of the Chicago Police Department through enhanced training, improved police-community relations, greater community voice in the design and operations of police accountability structures, and other reforms
- Strengthening gun laws to reduce the availability of illegal firearms
- Community grants to support local groups working to create the conditions for violence prevention and reduction. In 2018, 132 neighborhood organizations have received up to $10,000 to help reclaim parks, streets and public areas, as well as build community cohesion.
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"I’m not going to lie and say that there is just one solution that will cut down on gang violence. We did it, though. We showed up and we cared. It is really that simple." -
MASK
President Tamar Manasseh, a PSPC community grant recipient, in the
New York Times
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The number of shooting victims in Chicago
is currently trending 25 percent lower for 2018 to-date than 2017, and 31 percent lower than 2016 overall. Continued progress will require the persistence and hard work of community and business leaders, families, faith groups, nonprofit organizations, and the Chicago Police Department, who are all working to keep our neighborhoods and communities safer.
PSPC now includes more than 30 funders and partners who have collectively committed over $40 million. Members recently shared an overview of their work to date in
Crain’s Chicago Business
through a series of op-eds called “Building Peace.” Additionally, a story from one of the neighborhood organizations who received a PSPC community grant can be found
here
- look for more this summer on the collective's
website
.
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PSPC is one of many collaborative efforts where Chicagoans are coming together to reduce gun violence. Many of them have gained regional and national attention:
- The Chicago Sun-Times launched a campaign called 31 Bullets to highlight good ideas for reducing gun violence. The title comes from the total number of bullets sold in the U.S. each year—more than 10 billion—divided by the total number of Americans.
- The New York Times recently covered CURE Violence, a grantee of PSPC members. The NYT also wrote about Chicago’s use of sophisticated technology that allows police officers to work proactively and in a more positive way with community members.
- The Chicago Tribune provided an in-depth look into READI Chicago, a PSPC-supported effort that connects young people at greatest risk of gun violence with jobs, cognitive behavioral therapy and other supports.
- The New York Times highlighted the role that local residents and community organizations have played in historical declines in crime across the United States
- ABC Channel 7 Chicago featured the graduation of the Metropolitan Peace Academy's first class. The Academy, which trains community leaders on best practices for violence reduction, is supported by PSPC.
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PSPC is composed of over 30 partners. To see the full list,
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FELLOW SPOTLIGHT: ALEX BALLASIOTES
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From January through June, Alex Ballasiotes worked with the Civic Consulting Alliance team as a KPMG Fellow.
What project work were you involved in during your time at the Civic Consulting Alliance?
During my 6 months with CCA, I worked with the West Side United initiative. As this was one of the largest initiatives CCA was working on, there was never a shortage of work. Most of my experience focused on the institutional side, helping to drive forward the hospitals’ hiring, spending, and the development of an Impact Investing fund. Community members were able to provide direct input into how more than $2.5 million allocated to this fund by the
Rush University Medical Center
and the
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
could be best utilized in West Side communities.
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Alex Ballasiotes,
Senior Associate
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What will you take away from your time at Civic Consulting?
My time at CCA helped me gain a better appreciation for two things: the type of work Civic Consulting and others do around Chicago, and the diversity of communities across the city. It has always felt a bit disingenuous when I tell my friends that I love Chicago, because there are so many areas that I didn’t previously have exposure to. Working with a initiative like West Side United gave me not only more experience with a wide range of neighborhoods, but also the ability to directly affect positive change within them.
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"Working with an initiative like West Side United gave me not only more experience with a wide range of neighborhoods, but also the ability to directly affect positive change within them."
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What was your most memorable experience during your time at Civic Consulting?
While difficult to choose one individual experience, the public convening of West Side United in February stands out. Over 300 people – from aldermen to community members to hospital leaders to representatives of community-based organizations – participated in what was effectively an unveiling of the initiative’s progress over the past year. It was inspiring to see such a diverse group of individuals coming together around the causes we had been working on and push to make it even bigger.
How has your time at Civic Consulting helped you develop professionally?
My time at CCA has helped me develop professionally in several ways. One of the most significant was driving collaborative and effective outcomes from a wide range of diverse stakeholders. I also benefited a lot from the opportunity to manage several workstreams at the same time and balance their multitude of priorities and resource needs.
Civic Consulting Fellowships are full time positions that last between three months and a year. In every case, Fellows are integrated into project teams for a unique professional development opportunity. Please visit the
Fellowships
page on our website to learn more.
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IN OTHER NEWS...
- Joseph Lipari, the New York Police Department's assistant inspector general, has been nominated to be Chicago's next Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety. Civic Consulting and pro-bono partner Lantern Partners helped develop the recruitment and interview process for the role.
- Thanks to Accenture for hosting our Civic Cocktails event last month, and to David Ansell, Senior Vice President of Community Health Equity at Rush University Medical Center, for leading a thought-provoking conversation on health equity in Chicago.
- Building on the work of the Boston Consulting Group last fall, more than two dozen public, private, faith-based, and community-based organizations are coordinating approaches to reduce gun violence in 15 neighborhoods in Chicago this summer.
- Participating hospitals (Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago Medicine, and North Shore) started recruiting for the first cohort of the Medical Assistant Pathway Program - a career pathway program supported by West Side United, Chicagoland Healthcare Workforce Collaborative, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, and World Business Chicago. Collectively, they received over 300 expressions of interest for 25 available spots. Civic Consulting is supporting West Side United's work.
- Civic Consulting is excited to welcome two new analysts: Dejah Powell, a recent graduate of Cornell University, and Sam Leiter, a recent graduate of the University of Chicago.
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Civic Consulting Alliance is an affiliate of the Civic Committee of
the
Commercial Club of Chicago
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