EJUSA partners with local grassroots organizations and national groups to advocate for greater public investment in effective, community-based violence intervention efforts that reduce reliance on policing and prisons. Across the country, community groups, health departments, and cities are pioneering new approaches to reduce violence and build safe and healthy communities. Key violence intervention models include:

• Violence interrupters and community outreach workers: These street teams have an ear to the ground, credibility in the community, and even past histories of violence and incarceration. They mediate conflicts before they escalate, work with families impacted by violence to prevent retaliation, and provide mentoring and other support to people most at risk of committing violence. Examples include the Newark Community Street Team.
• Hospital-based violence intervention: In cities with high rates of violence, many trauma surgeons were noticing that they were seeing the same people again and again. While they could patch up the physical injuries of a gunshot or stabbing, there was nothing in place to address victims’ psychological or emotional wounds. Hospital-based violence intervention programs work with victims in the hospital and after they leave, to provide comprehensive support and services to help them rebuild their lives and break cycles of violence. Examples include D.L.I.V.E. in Detroit.