Portland Area Gang and Gun Crime Reduction Program

The Fiscal Year (FY) 21 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program for the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for District of Oregon was awarded an amount of $199,137 for a project period of October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2024.

The District of Oregon’s goal for the FY 2021 PSN grant is the reduction of gun and group/gang violence in the Target Enforcement Area (TEA) which includes Portland and the City of Gresham, both located in Multnomah County.

The District has developed objectives and strategies in order meet its goal that are guided by the four PSN Pillars: Community Engagement, Prevention & Intervention, Focused & Strategic Enforcement, and Accountability.

Community Engagement: The District will continue to develop and maintain partnerships with and between law enforcement, government entities, and community partners.

Prevention & Intervention: The District will continue and improve upon targeted prevention efforts for individuals at highest risk to be a victim or perpetrator in a shooting in the TEA, including firearm violence victims, in order to reduce risk of re-hospitalization for firearm or assault injuries, arrest for firearm or violent crime, and death by homicide.

Focused & Strategic Enforcement: The District will maintain the Portland Area Crime Gun Initiative, which is designed to reduce gun violence in the TEA by the most violent offenders by coordinating enhanced investigations and prosecutions of individuals, groups/gangs engaged in serial shootings.    

Accountability: The District, will evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of PACGI practices, as well as Life Coach/Intensive Case Management prevention and intervention efforts.

The PSN Team for the District has representatives from many agencies who take part in executing the PSN grant strategy including: the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Oregon State Police, Portland Police Bureau, Gresham Police Department, Multnomah County Sheriff, FBI, ATF, Multnomah County District Attorney, Oregon Department of Corrections, Multnomah County Department of Community Justice, Oregon Youth Authority, US Probation, and the Mayor’s Office. The selection committee is made up of the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention, a community member, and a former Senior Deputy District Attorney. The District will continue to identify key stakeholders in the community with capacity to provide necessary services to at-risk individuals and their families to reduce gun and group/gang violence.
POIC+RAHS is a minority-led, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that has worked with youth and families impacted by community violence for over 50 years in the great Portland region, through a three-tier prevention system: (1) outreach; (2) intensive case management; and (3) hospital-based intervention services. POIC+RAHS serves a total of 12 locations in North, Northeast, East, and Southeast Portland, as well as in the City of Gresham. The service area encompasses neighborhoods with an above average number of crimes and violent offenses as identified by the Portland Police Bureau’s Neighborhood Offense Statistics.

In alignment with the PSN Strategy Goals, POIC+RAHS maintains strong partnerships with law enforcement, government entities and community partners to support de-escalation efforts and advocate on behalf of the victim(s). For example, POIC+RAHS staff, available 24/7, are contacted and called to the scene of a shooting or violent incident by the Portland Police Bureau to act as a liaison between law enforcement and the individual(s) and begin intervention. In addition, POIC+RAHS directors and supervisors attend monthly coordination meetings with local justice system partners—consisting of faith-based organizations, parole and probation officers and staff from the District Attorney’s Office—to review intelligence data and monitor trends in gun and gang crime reduction strategies.

Through it's Violent Gang and Gun Crime Reduction Program, POIC+RAHs will provide intensive case management services to the highest risk individuals aged 16-35 years with three Life Coaches, handling a caseload of 10-15 people each for a period of 18 months. Daily service contact is provided to the client for the first 90 days of the intervention. After the first 90 days, the Life Coaches continue to maintain a minimum of three contacts each week. The focus of the intervention is the development of positive and trusting relationships with clients, providing structured support, and the development of a Life Plan that addresses the achievement of certain milestones such as finding a job and securing safe housing, with the aim of reducing recidivism. The Life Plan also includes a safety component, which requires significant collaboration with street-level outreach workers and daily check-ins on client movements to avoid interactions that could lead to escalating violence.  

Funding provided by 15PBJA-21-GG-03055-GUNP would support the first seven months of client engagement, with the remaining period being funded by other sources such as the City of Portland, Multnomah County and charitable foundation grants.

POIC+RAHS will ensure that at least 30% of the funding received is used to support collaborative and coordinated law enforcement activities focused on gangs that are engaged in high levels of violent crimes, firearm offenses and drug trafficking. POIC+RAHS has been working with the Gun Violence Reduction Team since 2018 through the coordination team meeting through which they collaborate on referrals and providing support for high-risk individuals.  The title of the Gun Violence Reduction Team has since been changed to the Focused Intervention Team but the focus on addressing gang violence remains the same. At least 30% of the funds will be utilized to enhance, coordinate or support gang task forces of the communities in which they work. POIC+RAHS meets with the task force weekly to receive referrals, which are then passed to the Life Coaches for engagement.