Knoxville Community Based Violence Intervention Planning and Implementation

The City of Knoxville, TN seeks funding to address community-based violence through evidence-based, community-informed approaches. Community-based violence has a devastating toll on individuals, families, communities where violence occurs, and the entire City. Reducing community-based violence in Knoxville will require successful implementation of the city’s comprehensive violence reduction plan; evidence-based strategies rooted in trauma-informed practices; collaboration among stakeholders, service providers, and community members; and effective community engagement.

The City of Knoxville’s violence reduction plan will be carried out through its Leadership/ Community Based Violence Interruption and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI) Team including a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders. The CVIPI Team will oversee the implementation of the city’s violence reduction plan and assess the impacts of strategies identified and implemented in accordance with the plan.

The City of Knoxville shall facilitate robust community engagement and education related to the causes and impacts of violence, and community-centered solutions for violence intervention and prevention. The City of Knoxville shall support the implementation of evidence-based violence interruption strategies through capacity building and provision of resources for community-led efforts to reduce violent crime, especially prioritizing organizations/entities/individuals that are Black or brown-led and/or have a high capacity to engage highest risk individuals and communities with cultural competency. Violence reduction efforts will be focused on people, places, and behaviors at greatest risk for violence as defined by the City's comprehensive Gun Violence Problem Analysis that analyzed police data. The age range of individuals at highest risk of violence in Knoxville is between 18- 34. Service areas will be continually assessed and informed by the city’s ongoing gun violence problem/ data analysis. Additionally, the CVIPI program will provide sub-grants to Opportunity Youth/ high-risk youth ages 16-24 as a violence-preventative measure.
The City of Knoxville strives to experience a minimum of a yearly 10% decrease in homicides and violent crime resulting in injury, increased capacity for organizations to implement evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies for violence interruption, improved outcomes for individuals at the highest risk for participating in violence, and greater access to safe spaces for individuals in communities most impacted by violence.