Washington State Community Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention Grants

Washington State Community Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention Grants is sponsored by Washington State Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (administered by WA Department of Commerce). This program seeks proposals to improve public health and safety through effective firearm violence reduction initiatives in communities disproportionately affected by firearm violence.

Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (OFSVP) – Washington State Department of Commerce 简体中文 ( Chinese (Simplified) ) 繁體中文 ( Chinese (Traditional) ) Tiếng Việt ( Vietnamese ) Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (OFSVP) The Department of Commerce is committed to building strong communities to support successful businesses and self-sufficient families. Strengthening communities is at the heart of our work.

Strong communities must be safe communities. The Department of Commerce works hand-in-hand with local and regional agencies, public health officials, law enforcement, community organizations and individual community members to develop evidence and data driven policies, strategies and interventions to reduce the impacts of firearm violence in Washington communities.

The program aims to enhance public health and safety by supporting effective initiatives to reduce firearm violence especially in communities disproportionately affected by community violence including suicides. Roles and responsibilities The Legislature created Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (OFSVP) in 2020 (Ch. 43.

330A RCW).

The responsibilities of the office include: Creating and maintaining a network of community intervention programs across the state Developing best practice guidance and providing technical assistance Identifying promising practices within Washington or in other states or countries, and supporting efforts to scale up or replicate those practices across the state Convening gatherings and hosting training to bring together state and national experts and community participants Identifying steps to improve the availability and quality of firearm data in Washington through information collection and data sharing.

Identifying and administering state, federal and private funding for grant programs focused on reducing firearm violence in Washington communities Issuing a bi-annual report and policy recommendations to policymakers. In the time since this statewide office was launched, OFSVP has made strategic investments in evidenced-informed violence reduction strategies across the state.

The office has collaborated closely with subject matter experts within the state and nationally to ensure our efforts are keeping up with unprecedented research and understanding of the causes of firearm violence and emerging strategies to achieve reductions.

OFSVP works hand-in-hand with policymakers, public health officials, government entities, law enforcement agencies, researchers, community organizations and individual community members. We prioritize building violence prevention and intervention capacity through engagement, outreach and technical assistance, and using data validated by our community partners to inform funding decisions.

Violence reduction strategies OFSVP funds two types of violence reduction strategies: intervention and prevention. Intervention strategies focus on providing evidence informed programs and services to interrupt, intervene and provide wrap around supports in communities at highest risk for being victims or perpetrators of firearm violence.

Prevention strategies focus on supporting communities and at-risk individuals who may be vulnerable to firearm violence. Emerging intervention strategies Community violence intervention strategies (CVI) Programs using the approaches listed below to identify and recruit those at greatest risk of community violence involvement with a specific intervention focus.

Fellowships – Structured mentorship programs that typically include life coaching and healing centered relationships with credible messengers who are individuals in the community with prior lived experiences similar to those they serve and may additionally include conflict mediation and street outreach.

Programs include Advance Peace , Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI) Chicago , and Chicago Create Real Economic Destiny (CRED) . Victim Services – Hospital Based Violence Intervention (HVIP) – victim services programs include wrap around case management services for victims of community violence and their families.

Interventions are provided for gunshot victims that begin in hospitals and may continue after the victim leaves the hospital. (e.g., The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI). Violence Interruption – Primarily focused on identifying and interrupting conflict through Street outreach and mediation (e.g., Cure Violence , Operation Ceasefire ).

Behavioral Science Interventions – Prioritize using behavioral therapy (e.g. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to support positive behavior change and emotion regulation (e.g. ROCA Re-WIRE CBT program ).

Enforcement Strategies – Direct engagement strategies between law enforcement and community partners with a focus on imposing direct, focused and predictable consequences for violent acts for specific individuals and groups, while simultaneously increasing access to social services and supports. (e.g., Cure Violence , Operation Ceasefire ).

The Effectiveness of Suspension and Expulsion as School Safety, University of Washington C-FIP report (PDF) University of Washington, Center for Firearm Injury Prevention Community Violence Intervention Social Impact Report (PDF) Community Violence Intervention Strategies, University of Washington C-FIP report (PDF).

Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures (PDF) Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention 2023 Report (PDF) Youth Violence Intervention Grant Program Report (PDF) OFSVP Program Fact Sheet (PDF)