LA County Office of Violence Prevention Healing Centered CVI Initiative

Project Description: The Los Angeles County (LAC), CA, Healing Centered Community Violence Intervention (CVI) initiative will enhance an existing CVI initiative, the Trauma Prevention Initiative (TPI), by increasing accessibility of mental health and healing services for youth and young adult survivors of violence, ages 14-30. The proposed project will advance equity and address mental health stigma across TPI’s CVI ecosystem – Hospital Violence Intervention Programs, Trauma Recovery Centers, and Street Outreach – by allocating most of the funding to contract with community-based organizations with expertise in non-traditional healing for Black and Latino communities.  The LAC Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) advances a public-health approach to multiple forms of violence that is survivor-centered and advances systems change. LAC OVP is uniquely positioned in a county public health department to bring a systemic and holistic approach to addressing violence as a public health issue. As a county entity, OVP supports unincorporated communities impacted by violence, that lack the infrastructure of cities, aligns services under the purview of counties, such as mental health and health services, and facilitates a regional approach with other cities implementing CVI strategies.  

The proposed project, led by LAC OVP, will prioritize five TPI unincorporated communities in historically marginalized areas with the highest rates of violence in LAC: four South LA communities, and East LA. In 2022, these five communities had more than double the homicide rates of LAC, and more than triple the national rates. The project will also address an often-overlooked component of CVI’s long-term viability: culturally relevant healing services for frontline workers, including peacemakers and case managers. Finally, a Youth Peace Fellowship program will be developed, engaging 10 youth/young adult survivors annually to participate in trainings provided by project partners (such as health justice, Stop the Bleed, arts programs, community violence intervention, and trauma informed practice), and implement a mini-grant funded peace project of their design. By promoting healing for both survivors and providers, the proposed project will address the traumatic sequelae of violence and promote a culture of healing across systems and communities.