6 Community Partners selected for neighborhood Community Violence Initiative contracts

• 25 applications were received – 6 were so strong that city increased awards from originally-announced plan to select 3-5.
• Proposed contracts funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act are being submitted to Council for approval this week, with the hope of having groups approved and working in the community by July 1.
• Each group will serve a defined geographic area, with the ability to earn performance grants up to $175K per quarter based on success reducing violence.

Mayor Mike Duggan today announced that six community-based organizations have been selected through a competitive bid process to conduct community violence intervention (CVI) through the new ShotStoppers program.  That number is more than the 3-5 the city originally intended, but 6 proposals were so strong, the Mayor is asking Council to expand the original scope of the program.

Each selected group is responsible for reducing homicides and shootings in a 3.5 to 4.5 square mile area, called a CVI Zone, using their own violence prevention strategy. Applicants were empowered to propose a specific approach based on their experience, expertise, and knowledge of the local community.

Each contractor will receive a quarterly base budget of $175,000 to execute their prevention strategy.  In any quarter the contractor’s efforts reduce serious violence by 10 percentage points more than the city as a whole, they will receive an additional $87,500 in prevention funding and in any quarter, they outperform the rest of the city by 20 percentage points, they will receive an additional $175,000.

The program is funded by the American Rescue Plan.  Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison, who led the program’s development, announced the 6 groups selected:

1. Detroit Peoples Community
2. Detroit 300
3. New Era Community Connection
4. Force Detroit
5. Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Denby Neighborhood Alliance, and Camp Restore
6. Detroit Friends and Family

Together, these organizations have decades of experience preventing and responding to violence – but ShotStoppers will be the first time that the City of Detroit provides funding to strengthen and expand CVI services and measure results to determine which approaches work best.

Bettison indicated that the contracts will be submitted to City Council this week, with the goal of beginning CVI services by July 1, in time for the peak summer months when violence typically rises. The community groups will have one month to ramp up their programs before the City begins measuring their performance on August 1.

Partnership with City Council vital to develop and implement ShotStoppers

City Council Members have strongly prioritized reducing violence in the City, and their feedback and efforts were vital to developing this new, innovative program. The City thanks Council Member Fred Durhal III, members of the Gun Violence Task Force, and all Members of City Council for their support and expertise.

“This community-led approach provides a holistic solution to the complex issue of gun violence and its root causes,” said Council President Mary Sheffield. “These grassroots organizations are best equipped to help prevent gun violence because they understand the needs and the challenges faced by our communities in a way that nobody else can. They have the trust of the people, and they know how to work with them to create meaningful change.”

“Gun violence is a major public health concern, and we are turning our collective pain into action by investing funds and other resources within our community to reverse the root causes of the violence we are experiencing,” said Council President Pro Tem James Tate. “Members of our community who have lived experience have the expertise, credibility, and relationships within our neighborhoods to reach those most vulnerable to committing these types of violent crimes. I look forward to seeing what these organizations do with proper funding and strategy.”

“Approaching the violence in our community demands more than one approach and it will require all of us to make our communities safer,” said District 7 Councilmember Fred Durhal. “That is why I support the ShotStoppers program. These Community Violence Intervention groups can reach the shooters, provide conflict resolution, and cognitive behavioral training that can address the underlying issues that drive gun violence. I have the utmost confidence that they will make a significant impact on the safety and wellbeing of all Detroiters.”

Highly competitive selection process

The City selected these six community organizations from a pool of 25 applicants who responded to the Notice of Funding Availability released in March, reflecting the overwhelming interest in the program.

To apply, each organization proposed a specific CVI Zone and the strategy and tactics that they would employ there. Applicants could select from a broad range of CVI tactics, including street outreach, violence interruption, connecting at-risk individuals with wraparound services, and addressing community conditions that contribute to violence, or propose new tactics as well. Applicants had to demonstrate a detailed, feasible strategy to reduce violence in their Zone, as well as the prior experience and organizational capacity to implement it effectively.

The application also required demonstrating the ability to appropriately manage a significant grant award of federal funds and maintain the highest standards for financial management and compliance with federal and city rules. Each of the six selected organizations has partnered with a fiduciary organization with extensive experience managing federal funds to support grant management and provide technical assistance.

Following the City’s procurement procedures, the City first formed an application evaluation committee and each member of the committee independently read and graded all of the applications. Organizations with the highest scores based on their written application were invited to interview with the City, where they elaborated on their past work, their proposal for ShotStoppers, and how they would approach common violence interruption scenarios. The evaluation committee then selected the final six organizations through consensus, based on their written application and interview contents.