These programs use “credible messengers” to engage individuals identified as being at higher risk of involvement in violence. Services include mediation, mentorship, case management and intervention in ongoing conflicts.
The Sacramento Office of Violence Prevention coordinates some of those such efforts alongside community-based organizations, schools and health systems.
The City of Sacramento has received a $5 million state grant through the California Violence Intervention and Prevention program, administered by the California Board of State and Community Corrections.
The funding is intended to expand violence prevention and intervention programs in neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.
Sacramento was one of four large cities selected for the maximum award in the latest funding cycle. The grant will support programs coordinated by the Sacramento Office of Violence Prevention, which operates within the Police Department.
Dr. Nicole Clavo, who directs the office, stated in an email that the office focuses on preventing violence before it occurs through outreach and coordination with community partners.
Programs include rapid response after shootings, outreach from community messengers, youth mentorship, case management and trauma-informed services for victims and families.
Clavo said the grant will support expansion of outreach, case management, mentorship, victim services and program evaluation. The structure for distribution of funds to community organizations has not been fully detailed publicly.
While overall homicide totals have declined, gun violence in Sacramento continues to disproportionately affect Black residents.
Black residents make up approximately 12.6% of Sacramento County’s population and accounted for about 52% of gun-related deaths between 2019 and 2023, according to previous OBSERVER reporting.
Of 381 gun-related homicides in that period, 197 victims were Black.
National research has linked reductions in violence in recent years to a combination of factors, including post-pandemic federal funding for local programs.
The American Rescue Plan Act directed federal funds toward violence prevention, youth employment, mental health services and housing stabilization programs in many cities.
Researchers at the University of Chicago’s NORC Center on Public Safety and Justice, cited in The Atlantic, have identified such investments as one factor under study in national crime declines.
Sacramento’s upcoming budget decisions will determine next year’s funding levels for policing and violence prevention programs as federal recovery funds decrease.