First 5 Alameda County: Place-based Community Safety Approaches for Early Childhood Development
Understanding that there are underlying conditions that contribute to violence, poverty, and negative early childhood outcomes, First 5 Alameda County is using a strengths-based approach and a variety of partnerships to support communities that have faced the greatest disenfranchisement. The agency is focused on place-based approaches to strengthen families and community environments for both optimal child development and community safety.
Bridging Maternal & Child Health and Violence Prevention Strategies: How Baltimore Promotes Safety Across the Life Course
This profile describes how the city went from recognizing that preventing violence is fundamental to supporting child development and preventing future experiences of violence – and moved toward developing a unified strategy. By recognizing overlapping goals, building on areas of strength, braiding funding, and aligning comprehensive efforts, Baltimore City Health Department is attaining greater impact, stronger partnerships, more resources, better evaluation, and increased sustainability.
Working Cradle to Community in New Orleans: Advancing Integrated Solutions to Violence through Early Childhood Approaches
Recognizing positive early childhood development as an important component of a comprehensive violence prevention strategy, the New Orleans Health Department is working to bridge their community safety and early childhood efforts. The agency is focused on strengthening and aligning current work to support the development of positive parenting skills and strong family relationships, enhance supports for fathers, and promote breastfeeding as an important part of healthy parent-child bonding and early attachment. These efforts not only help to promote optimal child development, but also mitigate risk factors and enhance protective factors for multiple forms of violence.
City Voices and Perspectives: Oxiris Barbot, M.D., Baltimore City Health Commissioner
Street outreach and violence interruption can prevent shootings and killings, and Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot describes how the Safe Streets program reduced violence in Baltimore. Because of Safe Streets, one neighborhood went nearly two years without a homicide, and non-fatal shootings dropped by more than one-third.
Mobilizing Boston Residents to Prevent Violence
The Boston Public Health Commission's Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (VIP) is grounded in community engagement, an essential element of preventing violence. This publication describes the goals of VIP's five community coalitions, and shares advice for mobilizing residents.
Sharing Data to Prevent Violence in Louisville
As part of an effort to prevent violence, the Louisville Metro Office of Youth Development helped establish a mechanism for the local school district to share data with youth-serving groups. The data-sharing system enables community organizations to identify and engage students most in need of support, fill service gaps, and better demonstrate their effectiveness using academic and attendance records.
City Voices and Perspectives: R.T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis
Mayor R.T. Rybak resolved to prevent violence upon leaving a child's funeral, and he has seen first-hand how the public health approach has transformed Minneapolis. Read this UNITY publication for ideas to engage key decision-makers in your city and to learn why Mayor Rybak champions prevention.
Blueprint for Action: Preventing Violence in Minneapolis
This publication highlights the effectiveness of the Blueprint for Action, a comprehensive strategic plan to prevent violence in Minneapolis. Violent crime in four prioritized neighborhoods fell by 43 percent in the first two years of the initiative, and the National League of Cities has recognized Minneapolis's approach as among the most innovative models for preventing violence affecting youth. "Blueprint for Action-Preventing Violence in Minneapolis" demonstrates how developing and implementing a strategic plan grounded in prevention is paying off for Minneapolis.
City Voices and Perspectives: Paul D. López
Denver City Councilman Paul D. López describes innovative strategies that simultaneously address both gang violence and the lack of healthy, affordable food in west Denver. The urban farming and mural programs highlighted in "City Voices and Perspectives: Paul D. López" illustrate how the combination of political will, strong partnerships and a public health approach can transform neighborhoods for the better.
Partnerships to Prevent Violence in Chicago
Partnerships are a key for ensuring that all children in Chicago are safe, healthy and educated, says Christopher Mallette, formerly of the Office of the Mayor. Read "Partnerships to Prevent Violence in Chicago" for an example of how collaboration enhances local efforts to prevent violence.
Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Inititative
Neighborhood networks form the core of the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, and Director Mariko Lockhart describes the Initiative's collaborative approach and how to measure outcomes in this publication. Read "City Voices and Perspectives: Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative" to learn how successful partnerships can reduce and prevent violence.
Policy Priorities for Preventing Violence
Navigating the politics of evaluation is one component of "Policy Priorities for Preventing Violence." Susan Lee of Advancement Project describes Los Angeles's comprehensive solution to gang violence, presents compelling evidence about primary prevention, and discusses ways that community advocates can work together with policymakers to make cities safer for everyone.
City Voices and Perspectives: Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris, the California attorney general, detailed her Smart on Crime approach during a UNITY webinar in 2010 when she was San Francisco's district attorney. Read excerpts from her conversation with UNITY Co-Chair Larry Cohen for insight into the perspective of California's chief law officer. Harris explains how preventing violence is a smart way to promote public safety, and she shares innovative city strategies to reduce recidivism and keep kids in school
Connie Rice on LA's Comprehensive Gang Prevention Strategy
These excerpts from Connie Rice’s presentation provide a persuasive case for incorporating a public health approach into violence prevention efforts, and illustrate many ways that city and county government can provide structural and systematic support for a public health approach to violence prevention and specifically gang reduction.
UNITY Strategy Convening Synthesis, September 2010
Read the outline for future direction and the UNITY priorities that emerged at the September 2010 UNITY Strategy Convening. Browse the overview of UNITY accomplishments to date, and learn the eight key themes and next steps for UNITY as we continue to build on the national momentum for preventing violence.
Prioritized Strategies to Prevent Violence Before it Occurs
In late summer 2007, UNITY convened young people and representatives from cities across the country to prioritize strategies to prevent violence before it occurs. Read the outlined strategies on violence prevention, including primary, secondary and tertiary approaches.
Synthesis Notes: UNITY City Network Convening, June 2009
Read the summarized outcomes of UNITY City Network Convening, a 2-day conference for city, state and national leaders on preventing youth violence.
Synthesis Notes: UNITY City Network Follow-Up Web Forum, August 2009
Read the initial outline of the Urban Agenda, and learn the progress of different cities from 2009.
Please note: we will be adding to this section—check back soon, and send us your ideas for new stories and examples.