The purpose of Safe and Thriving Communities is to support and enhance efforts to develop comprehensive prevention and public health and safety plans to address violence in homes, schools, and communities and the consequent trauma. This initiative is intended to strengthen the capacity of selected communities to collaboratively plan, align, and execute community driven approaches focused on a shared framework of prevention; intervention and providing opportunities; and community development, along with deterrence, targeted outreach, and enforcement. OJJDP is seeking proposals from applicant jurisdictions grappling with high levels of youth related gun crime and gang violence and that can demonstrate a willingness and readiness to develop fully comprehensive, community- and data-driven responses. Funding will support selected jurisdictions to undertake strategic planning and capacity-building work through multidisciplinary and community partnerships.
The long-term goals of the Safe and Thriving Communities initiative are to:
- Increase the safety, well-being, and healthy development of children, youth, and families.
- Prevent violence and promote healing from victimization and exposure to violence in the home, school, and community.
- Reduce and sustain reductions in youth violence, specifically gun and gang violence and victimization.
Objectives and associated activities are to:
- Elevate prevention of youth violence and children's exposure to violence as a priority issue within the applicant jurisdiction and work collaboratively with other public and private entities to elevate prevention as a nationwide priority - Raise public awareness of the importance of preventing and addressing youth and gang violence, highlighting the individual and societal impacts.
- Stop youth gun and gang violence and community violence impacting youth - Intervene in and deter youth from gun and gang violence using evidence- and practice-based approaches, notably the "Group Violence Intervention", formerly known as the "Boston Ceasefire model"; "Cure Violence"; and the "OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model". "CrimeSolutions.gov" and "Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs contain additional information".
- Improve access to, delivery of, and quality of services available that promote healing and positive youth and community development in jurisdictions nationwide - Ensure policies, practices, and services incorporate trauma-informed, healing-based, and developmentally appropriate services for children and youth.
One recommended approach is for the mayor's office or other local leadership and a representative from the nonpublic sector to jointly lead the endeavor. Youth, families, community members, and nonpublic entities representing or directly serving youth and families must compose a significant proportion of the collaborative body. This is a mechanism to ensure that youth and families, who are the intended recipients of prevention intervention, and treatment services and are immediate beneficiaries, have a substantial role in developing and implementing proposed activities.