Policy and Practice | December 2022

involved with the legal system prior to his participation. He’s currently enrolled in a two-year community college and has signed on to work at UCAN as a youth mentor himself. He described how the mentoring team at UCAN became family, with themmoti vating him every step of the way and helping him envision his future beyond the constraints of his circumstances. As I bear witness to the deep com mitment and coordination of Illinois communities working to prevent violence, I am filled with a sense of hope and purpose. We are collectively reimagining public safety to ensure every child and adult in Illinois can achieve their fullest potential. Let’s build a world where no person is left behind and where people who look like me don't have to learn their hardest lessons after living behind prison walls. We understand the urgency of this moment, and we are harnessing every available resource to prevent even one more gun violence tragedy, one more grieving mother, or one more lost child. If you would like to learn more about efforts to reimagine public safety in the state of Illinois, please visit www.dhs.illinois.gov/rpsa.

reaching those most at risk and con necting them with lifesaving services. I have been fortunate to travel the state, listening to community members and advocates who have seen lives shattered by violence—not just in Chicago but in cities like East St. Louis, Peoria, Urbana, and Rockford. From each of these encounters, I have been inspired by hope as I learn about intentional and collective efforts to bring together community-based orga nizations, community advocates, law enforcement, schools, healthcare insti tutions, housing providers, food banks, and park districts to comprehensively address the myriad needs of communi ties impacted by firearm violence. This summer, I heard from Devion (pictured on page 11), a 20-year-old who has been participating in youth development programming with UCAN, an organization focused on preventing violence and improving outcomes for youth in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Devion described his journey receiving one-on one mentoring, academic coaching and engagement, and case management from the time he was 16—completely disengaged from the school system and

63 percent of participants in Chicago CRED programs who didn’t have a high school diploma received one through the program. Participants also experienced nearly 50 percent reduc tion in firearm victimization rates 18 months after completing the program compared to victimization rates 18 months prior to participation. While these programs have demon strated success over the last decade, these dedicated and groundbreaking street outreach providers have never seen this level of government invest ment in violence prevention activities. In addition, many Illinois communities outside of Chicago are now adopting these practices and identifying pro viders who can do this work. That is why the OFVP strongly believes it is our duty to work hand in hand with communities to help organizations build the capacity to provide these services and expand their impact. We are asking local elected officials, non-profit leaders, and other stakeholders to help us identify where we can cultivate this potential. We must scale up what works and put resources into the hands of community organizations who are the experts in

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December 2022 Policy&Practice