Strengthening Community Safety in California

As part of a statewide movement, Prevention Institute is strengthening community safety in California through strategies that promote health equity and racial justice.

1. We build partnerships with Black-, Indigenous-, and People of Color- (BIPOC) leaders and BIPOC-led organizations and coalitions, public health departments and associations, networks of young leaders, state government agencies, and statewide networks and coalitions, and support power-building within and among communities most impacted by community violence.
2. We support practitioners and inform decisionmakers about health equity and racial justice approaches to community safety through multimedia materials (e.g., podcasts, videos, op-eds, etc.), learning forums, technical assistance and coaching, and other mechanisms.
3. We advance policies and practices that embed racial and gender justice in local and state solutions, and articulate metrics that drive accountability of government to communities.
4. Examples of our work include:

Partnerships

• Coordinating and collaborating with state and local community and government partners and networks, including California Department of Public Health Violence Prevention Initiative, California Health in All Policies, PolicyLink, and the California Alliance for Boys and Men of Color.
• Developing additional partnerships with Black-, Indigenous-, and People of Color- (BIPOC) leaders and BIPOC-led organizations and coalitions, public health departments and associations, networks of young leaders, state government agencies, and statewide networks and coalitions.

Supporting practitioners and inform decisionmakers

• Providing training and consultation to state and local partners on community safety, guided by the framework we co-developed with Big Cities Health Coalition, Community Safety Realized. For example, we are facilitating learning on community safety through racial justice.
• Providing technical assistance, coaching, and presentations in Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Los Angeles counties, and more.
• Creating and disseminating podcasts with and for California partners who use them as part of learning network activities, e.g., Community safety through investing in youth, and Ending violence by the police and in the community.
• Providing webinars on community trauma and resilience for California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative communities and partners.
• A blog post, Supporting safe homes and safe communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advancing policies and practices

• Our policy platform, Beyond Screening, Achieving California's Bold Goal of Reducing Exposure to Childhood Trauma, outlines key actions California can advance to prevention childhood trauma and foster more equitable, resilient communities.
• A Commentary in Cal Matters, ‘Divest from police’ and invest in policies that take a different approach to public safety, that encourages cities to invest in schools, jobs, parks, and healing that will truly make our communities safe.
• We partner with numerous groups to advance additional safety policy and systems change priorities.

This work is made possible with support from The CARESTAR Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, and The California Wellness Foundation.