Justice & Opportunity (J&O) Community Safety Initiatives

Justice & Opportunity (J&O) Community Safety Initiatives is sponsored by United Way of New York City. The Justice & Opportunity (J&O) team at United Way of New York City addresses issues around community safety and historic racial inequity with a focus on holistically supporting individuals involved in the criminal justice system.

Justice & Opportunity - United Way of New York City United Way of New York City (UWNYC) is building safer communities by investing in community organizations and connecting justice-involved individuals with transformative therapeutic services. We seek to improve community vitality and public safety by increasing the strength and capacity of grassroots organizations and lifting community-driven solutions.

Serving as a program administrator, we collaborate with the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), program model developers, and technical assistance providers to enhance the capacity of partner community-based organizations (CBOs) and deliver quality supports for participants within our programming.

individuals referred to mental health services through our partners staff retention rate maintained with our partner organizations (compared to 30% average within the field) people whose lives were transformed by the work of community organizations strengthened through our capacity building resources The heart of the Justice & Opportunity work lies in Atlas, a wide-ranging community violence initiative managed between UWNYC and DYCD.

The mission of Atlas is to enhance public s afety by providing voluntary, non-court mandated programs through community-based organizations and place-based strategies in neighborhoods that have historically borne the brunt of v iolence and over-enforcement .

Atlas providers are trained to serve people who are navigating open court cases, have witnessed or experienced violence firsthand, and that have faced or are at elevated risk of facing traumas that can affect their social, emotional, and mental health.

Atlas sees UWNYC partner with trusted community-based organizations that have deep roots and credibility in their communities—creating a pathway for people to access transformative therapeutic and other wraparound services. All Atlas therapeutic programming is free and voluntary for all participants.

Atlas is comprised of three programs: Atlas Functional Family Therapy , Atlas Innovation Fund , and Atlas HOPE (Healing, Opportunity, Progress, Empowerment). Additionally, UWNYC provides capacity building services to all partners.

Atlas functional family therapy At its core, Atlas is a public health model that prevents violence by matching justice-impacted individuals at an elevated risk of violence with voluntary evidence-based therapeutic services that are proven to be transformative. Atlas Functional Family Therapy (FFT) is an evidence-based intervention for youth and families.

This high-quality, culturally competent, strength-focused family counseling model is designed primarily for youth and young adults at an elevated risk of violence who have been referred by the criminal court, juvenile justice, mental health, school, or child welfare systems. Services are short-term, conducted in both office and home settings, and can also be provided in schools, and various community settings.

Atlas FFT programs specifically work with youth and young adults between the ages of 14 to 27 years old. Atlas FFT works with referral partners across the city to provide FFT to any eligible client and their family. The FFT model incorporates a participant’s closest loved ones into the change and growth process.

While FFT is a f amily t herapy model, the program recognizes that family is not just who we are related to. The family unit is whoever the young person identifies as their support network. Atlas meets people at times of crisis and connects them to free voluntary community based therapeutic services.

Atlas HOPE (Healing, Opportunity, P rogress, Empowerment) is a Community Violence Intervention model that combines persistent outreach, trauma-informed cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI), and paid, extended transitional employment to meet the needs of adult men ages 25 and older at the highest risk of serious violence involvement, including gun violence. The model is an adaptation of READI Chicago program .

Learn more about our 2024 pilot launch. The Atlas Innovation Fund engages private foundations, corporations, and individuals to provide grants to grassroots community-based organizations operating programs in communities that are at a high risk of violence. The Atlas Innovation Fund is a public-private partnership that is dedicated to advancing violence prevention, community healing, and public safety initiatives in New York City.

The purpose is to empower grassroots organizations by providing tailored support, technical assistance , and unrestricted funding, fostering their growth, and enabling them to make a lasting impact in the community. UWNYC’s Capacity Building Program is a targeted, holistic investment that offers staff development and organizational infrastructure support to our partner organizations.

By meeting partners where they are, the program enhances long-term sustainability, operational effectiveness, and the ability of organizations to advance their missions and deliver meaningful impact across New York City communities. We invest in the growth and well-being of frontline Atlas program staff and organizational leaders, recognizing that strong organizations are built by empowered people.

Individual-level supports are designed to enhance professional skills, leadership, and peer connection, and include: Peer Engagement, Education, and Resource Support (PEERS): an ongoing learning community for Atlas FFT and HOPE staff, which includes therapists, case managers, and outreach workers/supervisors.

Engagements are focused on peer support, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving to strengthen program implementation Social worker licensure support Staff leadership development and training sessions Organizational Infrastructure We support partner organizations in strengthening the systems, structures, and practices that underpin effective service delivery.

Through connections to trusted technical assistance providers, organizations receive customized support to build resilient and sustainable operations.

Areas of expertise include, but are not limited to: Board Development & Governance Fundraising & Resource Development Legal (501(c)(3) incorporation) Organizational Development/Leadership Coaching Together, these organizational and individual capacity-building efforts ensure partner organizations are equipped to thrive today while building a sustainable foundation for the future.

For more information about Atlas or how to make a referral, you can reach us at [email protected] Justice & Opportunity Stories Statement from United Way of New York City President and CEO Grace Bonilla on the Federal Government Shutdown NEW YORK CITY (October 2, 2025) – The federal...

United Way of New York City, The Fortune Society, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Launch Atlas HOPE Initiative Stakeholders met with community partners to... Atlas Workforce Grant Announced in Partnership with The Fortune Society and the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development United Way of New York City (UWNYC) is proud to... Are you passionate about this area of our work?

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