OFVP Firearm Violence Research Group Meeting Minutes, March 18, 2025

Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Time: 9:30 am

Meeting Minutes

Welcome/Roll Call/Approval of Minutes
- Meeting Called to order @ 9:32am
- FVRG Members Present: Joseph Hoereth, Dave Olson, FVRG Member McGrath, Timothy Lavery
- FVRG Members Absent: Andrew Papachristos, Kim Smith, Maryann Mason
- Other Attendees: Assistant Secretary Bell, Ana Genkova, Roy Rothschild, Kari Branham, Melissa Pfeiffer, Sam Theno, Stephanie Jones, Jacob Diaz, Kevin Brown, Sean Walsh
- Notetaker: Jessica Cortez
- Meeting Minutes for January 21, 2025, are tabled due to quorum not met.
Public Comment - No public comments received
Discussion and Work Items
1. OFVP Updates
2. Open Discussion
  - Learning from recent evaluations of violence prevention program efforts.
3. Quick Recap
  - The Firearm Violence Research Group meeting discussed updates on budget reductions and community violence intervention funding, followed by a presentation on recent evaluation work and lessons learned from various violence prevention strategies. The presentation covered research findings on community violence intervention programs, the Peacekeepers program, data analysis methods, and the impact of these initiatives on reducing gun violence and supporting outreach workers. The conversation ended with discussions on the challenges and future directions of community violence intervention efforts, including the need for increased research support and consideration of both individual and community-level factors in intervention strategies.
Next steps
1. FVRG to reassess the list of communities receiving investment to ensure resources are allocated optimally for maximum impact on reducing firearm violence.
2. OFVP to examine how their funded programs overlap and collectively impact neighborhoods alongside other violence prevention initiatives.
3. FVRG Member McGrath to follow up with her research team on investigating potential differences in victimization reporting behaviors between program participants and control groups.
4. FVRG to consider how to better align long-term nature of violence prevention work with shorter policy and funding cycles.
5. OFVP to explore ways to measure and communicate broader impacts of violence prevention programs beyond just victimization rates.
Summary
1. Firearm Violence Research Group Meeting
  - The Firearm Violence Research Group meeting is called to order with four members present, not enough for a quorum. The approval of minutes is tabled until the next meeting. Assistant Secretary Bell from the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) provides updates on the budget, noting a reduction to $110 million for fiscal year 2026, down from $135 million. This necessitates decisions on program continuity and investment strategy. Assistant Secretary Bell also mentions the release of a county RFP for community violence intervention funding. FVRG Member McGrath is then invited to present on recent evaluation work and lessons learned from various violence prevention strategies.
2. Community Violence Intervention Strategies in Chicago
  - FVRG Member McGrath, who leads the Corners team, has been discussing their research on community violence intervention (CVI) strategies in Chicago since 2016. The team works closely with community partners to design actionable research. Key findings include that CVI programs are successfully reaching those at highest risk of gun violence, with participants being 11 times more at risk than the general population. CVI work extends beyond violence prevention to include connecting individuals to various life-saving services. The research also reveals the challenging nature of outreach work, with workers experiencing high levels of violence exposure and financial instability. Despite these challenges, local CVI efforts are driving innovation, including initiatives to support outreach workers' well-being and the development of data-informed tools to enhance street outreach practices.
3. Peacekeepers Program Expands to Year-Round
  - FVRG Member McGrath discussed the Peacekeepers program, which was launched in 2018 as a seasonal initiative to enhance CVI capacity and outreach worker capacity. The program aimed to transition individuals from the illegal economy to the legal economy and create a pipeline for the CVI field. The program has expanded to become a year-round initiative, with over 1,200 peacekeepers in 27 Chicago community areas and 8 Cook County suburbs. Since its launch, 171 peacekeepers have transitioned into full-time violence prevention positions, and over 2,000 conflict mediations have been resolved successfully. FVRG Member McGrath also highlighted the impact of CVI, citing the expansion of the Communities Partnering for Peace coalition and the success of the Chicago Creds program.
4. Gun Violence Reduction and Community Programs
  - FVRG Member McGrath discussed the decision to focus on quantitative and qualitative data analysis for their work with communities. They decided against a randomized control trial and instead used quasi-experimental analyses, including synthetic control models. The results showed statistically significant reductions in gun violence victimization in three community areas, preventing 383 homicides and non-fatal shootings. They also evaluated the impact of Chicago Cred, a program with an 18-month structure, on individual participants. The results showed a 73% reduction in violent arrests for participants who completed the program, but no significant reduction in victimization. FVRG Member McGrath acknowledged the challenges of gun violence and the need to understand the dynamics of risk and capacity issues in their work.
5. Peacekeepers Program Expansion and Results
  - FVRG Member McGrath discussed the expansion of the Peacekeepers program in 2023, which now covers 27 community areas. She highlighted a 41% decrease in victimization across all hotspots, with early findings showing promising results. The program's year-round coverage has allowed for cooling and calming activities throughout the year, potentially impacting peak moments. FVRG Member McGrath also mentioned the "peace interval," a metric co-developed with partners, which measures the time period between incidents. The program has achieved 136 days without shootings, providing opportunities for individuals, families, and communities to heal from trauma.
6. Expanding Impact and Professionalizing Violence Prevention
  - FVRG Member McGrath discussed the positive impact of peacekeepers and the work of the coalition, emphasizing the importance of considering the broader structural context in which this work is happening. She highlighted the development of the Street Outreach Participants Survey, which aims to measure impact more holistically by considering factors like mental health, education, work, housing, and pro-social networks. FVRG Member McGrath also mentioned the North Lawndale Collaborative, which was the first pilot site for scaling Cvi, and its subsequent absorption into the SC 2 initiative. She stressed the need to expand the notion of impact and to support the professionalization of the violence prevention field.
7. Community Violence Intervention Challenges Discussed
  - In the meeting, FVRG Member McGrath presented a comprehensive analysis of the current state of community violence intervention (CVI) efforts, highlighting the need for increased research support. She also discussed the challenges of scaling CVI in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by violence. Assistant Secretary Bell raised concerns about the allocation of investment dollars and the effectiveness of current strategies in reducing firearm violence. FVRG Member McGrath suggested reassessing community areas to ensure appropriate resource allocation and emphasized the importance of considering both individual challenges and protective factors in intervention efforts.
8. Data Collection Limitations and Scaling Initiative
  - In the meeting, FVRG Member Olson and FVRG Member McGrath discussed the limitations of their data collection methods, particularly the reliance on self-reported victimization and the potential underreporting of crimes. They also explored the possibility of participants in their program reporting victimization at a higher rate than the control group, which could explain the lack of difference in official measures. FVRG Member McGrath mentioned the encouraging trend of declining reported gun carrying and increased feelings of safety in communities, which could lead to a decrease in gun violence in the long term. The team also discussed the potential for community-level changes through their scaling initiative.
9. Street Outreach Workers' Motivations and Challenges
  - FVRG Member Lavery expressed interest in understanding the motivations and mindset of street outreach workers, particularly those with a history of involvement in the justice system. FVRG Member McGrath shared that these workers are driven by a desire to change their lives and positively impact their communities, often by reaching out to younger generations. She emphasized the dangerous nature of their work, which includes being first responders in their communities. FVRG Member McGrath also highlighted the importance of providing resources to these workers, as they often relive past experiences and can be re-traumatized in the field. She stressed the need for more nuanced conversations about the impact and outcomes of this work, and the importance of recognizing the difficult work done by these individuals.
10. Aligning Programs with Policy and Funding
  - Facilitator Hoereth expressed appreciation for the presentation and highlighted the challenges of aligning long-term work with policy and funding cycles. He emphasized the importance of understanding the impact of programs on the ground and the need for further research. Facilitator Hoereth also discussed the need to consider the overlap of different programs and resources in neighborhoods. The next meeting was scheduled for May 20th, with a focus on discussing research and the impact of evaluations. Sean Walsh, the new research unit manager, introduced himself and expressed his commitment to using data to guide strategies.
Proposed Next Meeting Date/Time: Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 9:30am
Meeting Adjourned @ 11:05am