Three new studies and evaluations of Community Violence Intervention programs in Richmond, California; Detroit, Michigan; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania offer a useful look at how CVI programs are working in very different cities. Richmond’s study provides unusually long-term evidence, with researchers finding significant reductions in gun violence over 14 years; Detroit’s evaluation found reductions across every program zone as teams became more established; and Philadelphia’s study shows what it takes to reach and support people at the highest risk of violence on the ground. Across the three, a common theme is that implementation matters. As Detroit researchers put it, “trust and credibility are the foundational building blocks for CVI programming.”The studies point to the importance of sustained funding, enough time and staff to build that trust, strong outreach, and flexibility to adapt to local conditions. All three studies are worth your time, but here are some toplines from each:
- Richmond, California: Gun Violence Fell 61% Over 14 Years, And Fell 66% During The Program’s Expanded Phase. Researchers found the Peacemaker Fellowship was associated with a 61.47% reduction in fatal and nonfatal firearm assaults over 14 years, with “significant and sustained reductions” throughout the evaluation period. The results “strengthened over time,” from a 49.42% reduction during 2010–2016 to 66.30% during 2017–2024, leading the authors to say the findings “suggest the added value of sustained and expanded implementation.” They also highlight “consistent and predictable budgetary support,” which allowed Richmond to “ensure staff continuity and program consistency for a decade.”
- Detroit, Michigan: CVI Zones Saw Homicides Fall 33% And Nonfatal Shootings Fall 38% In The Program’s Second Year. Researchers found that “all the CVI zones experienced reductions in non-fatal shootings and homicides during the program period.” By the second year, after teams had “solidified their programming and intervention strategies,” CVI zones saw homicides fall 33% and nonfatal shootings fall 38%, compared with declines of 12% and 26% in the rest of the city. The evaluation also found teams “depended heavily on the trust and credibility they developed” with people at high risk, while city support combined “financial and administrative support” with “a high degree of autonomy” to adapt programs to neighborhood conditions.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Outreach Reached Nearly 70% Of Nearby Shootings, With Outreach Workers Consistently Building Trust With High-Risk Participants. During the 18-week pilot study, a small outreach team supported 38 participants, more than 60% of whom met at least three high-risk criteria, while 69.8% of shootings in the target area were followed by outreach within two blocks and two weeks. Researchers found “high fidelity” in case management and community engagement, including 95% adherence to trust-building and 91.8% to connecting participants with resources. Participants reported that the program gave them emotional support, practical help and, in one participant’s words, “hope.”
Momentum For CVI Teams Across The Country:
- In Memphis, Tennessee, City And County Created A Joint Office To Coordinate And Fund Violence Prevention, While CVI Team Works With Young People At Highest Risk. For The Trace, Chip Brownlee reports on the CVI program that Memphis and Shelby County created “to coordinate and help fund violence prevention,” while the CVI street responders, known as Heal 901, work “to stop retaliatory shootings and mediate community conflicts … before things escalate.” Day to day, that means helping people “at an elevated risk of being shot or arrested navigate the court and parole systems, find housing and a job, and seek mental health care.” Juvenile probation officer Bill Adkins III said, “when you have something like Heal 901, I know they’re going to give them the support they need … Coupled with what I’m doing, it works 10 times more than if they did not exist.” Heal 901 Founder K. Durell Cowan put the model more simply: “the solution to that violence is actually part of the community … it takes individuals who come from the community, who look like the community, to go back in and change it.”
- In Harris County, Texas, CVI Team Has Recorded 187 “Stoppages Of Violence,” While Gun Homicides Have Fallen Faster In Every Neighborhood It Serves. For KPRC 2, Jaewon Jung reports that the county’s CVI program, known as RISE, has recorded 187 “stoppages of violence” over four years and a 38% reduction in violence in one target ZIP code since 2023. For the Houston Press, April Towery reports that gun homicides have fallen faster in every neighborhood where RISE operates than in Houston as a whole, while its teams have made more than 30,000 community connections and 2,300 hospital visits to survivors of shootings, stabbings and assaults.
- In Baltimore, Maryland, Neighborhoods With CVI Teams Saw Youth Homicides Fall 42% And Nonfatal Youth Shootings Fall 21%. For Johns Hopkins Hub, Claire Goudreau reports that 2025 saw Baltimore’s “lowest homicide rate in nearly 50 years,” while a recent Johns Hopkins study found neighborhoods with local CVI teams, known as Safe Streets, saw a 42% reduction in youth homicides and 21% reduction in nonfatal youth shootings. Local leaders pointed to community patrol teams as one of the keys to that success, which “walk students home from school, connect drug users with resources, and intervene to stop potential violence.” Stefanie Mavronis, Director of MONSE, who helps oversee the city’s CVI strategy, explained that Baltimore has “expanded the way we look at and think about public safety,” with “every institution, law enforcement agency, government apparatus, and community partner” playing “a unique role … in preventing violence.”
