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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COOK COUNTY COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION INITIATIVE FALL 2026
WHEREAS, the Cook County Justice Advisory Council (JAC), as an office under the Cook County Board President, works to promote equitable, human-centered, community-driven justice system innovation and practice through rigorous stakeholder engagement, policy work, service coordination, and grantmaking that increases community safety and reduces reliance on incarceration; and
WHEREAS, the JAC supports Cook County’s commitment to advancing equity throughout Cook County by administering grants that invest in programs and strategies to improve community safety in areas of violence prevention and reentry; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Ordinance Sec. 2-527 establishes the JAC’s authority to administer violence prevention, intervention and reduction grants to nonprofit community-based organizations in accordance with the Cook County Procurement Code; and
WHEREAS, building on historic levels of investment in community-based organizations, JAC grant initiatives will sustain key services beyond American Rescue Plan Act funding, supporting organizations that help those closest to the gun violence epidemic to access critical programs and services that contribute to increased community safety throughout Cook County; and
WHEREAS, gun violence dramatically affects physical, cognitive, mental, emotional wellbeing and development of those exposed to it: direct survivors of gun violence and the communities impacted by incidences of gun violence; and
WHEREAS direct and indirect survivors are at greater risk of perpetrating violence, experiencing further victimization or exposure to violence; and
WHEREAS our communities are less safe when those at risk of perpetrating or being impacted by gun violence cannot access critical services essential to violence prevention; and
WHEREAS, in 2025 the JAC launched Cook County Community Violence Intervention (CC-CVI) and Cook County Wraparound Services for Survivors of Gun Violence (CC-SGV), complementary grant initiatives designed to improve community safety in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, the CC-CVI initiative provides services to residents at risk of being involved in gun violence; and
WHEREAS, funding for the CC-CVI initiative is working in partnership with the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC) in alignment with the philanthropic and business communities and our collaborative investment strategy to maximize the impact of state and local funding for violence prevention; and
WHEREAS, the GASC strategy and CC-CVI initiative represent a comprehensive approach to violence prevention, utilizing innovative, emerging programming and services, supported by evidence-based research from institutions such as Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS), to engage individuals at the highest risk of firearm violence (HRI’s); and
WHEREAS, Chicago saw the lowest rates of gun homicides in 2025, with that trend continuing in 2026, notably following these historic levels of investment in community-based approaches to violence prevention; and
WHEREAS, the CC-CVI initiative funds community organizations to provide services in each of the following categories:
• Street Outreach: Street outreach workers mediate conflicts and prevent retaliatory violence between those who are at risk of being involved in gun violence. Street outreach workers engage with individuals at highest risk of violence in a variety of settings, including parks, homes, street corners, community centers, schools, and hospitals at all hours of the day.
• Case Management: Case management includes developing case plans based on individuals’ unique needs and providing or connecting individuals to identified resources and services. Services can be provided directly or through linkages with other providers and include but are not limited to: effective emotional or trauma related therapies, legal aid services, housing services, employment training, job placement services, family engagement, and other support services.
• Victim Services: Victim service advocates help families and victims of violence recover from physical and emotional trauma by empowering them with skills, services, and opportunities; and
WHEREAS, funding for the CC-CVI initiative is strategically targeted to provide services in the geographic areas defined as communities impacted by gun violence in the Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA) (430 ILCS 69); and
WHEREAS, the RPSA calls for a comprehensive approach to reducing firearm violence through targeted, integrated behavioral health services; and
WHEREAS, the JAC released the first notice of funding opportunity for the CC-CVI initiative in March 2025 and the Cook County Board of Commissioners authorized awards for 18 organizations in July 2025 via resolution #25-0704; and
WHEREAS, the awards proposed herein are pursuant to the second notice of funding opportunity for the CC-CVI initiative released in July 2026; and
WHEREAS, this funding opportunity was strategically designed in support of two key goals of the GASC: targeting services to HRI’s and to serve at least 25% of HRI’s in RPSA areas across all of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, this funding opportunity included two potential funding tracks; and
WHEREAS, funding Track 1 is for a coalition of organizations under one lead entity to serve HRI’s in RPSA areas in the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Track 2 awards are for organizations that will serve HRI’s in RPSA areas across Cook County in which the goal of reaching 25% of HRI’s, across GASC investments, has not yet been met; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of Commissioners authorized the allocation of $20 million in Equity Funds in the FY2026 budget for the Justice Advisory Council to support community violence intervention; and
WHEREAS, $5 million of those funds were awarded via resolution 26-0721 in July 2026 to nine organizations pursuant to the first funding opportunity; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the Justice Advisory Council to issue 2-year agreements with the following organizations:
1. Alliance of Local Service Organizations in an aggregate amount up to $1,485,000.00, serving Humboldt Park.
2. Metropolitan Family Services in an aggregate amount up to 7,000,000.00, serving Albany Park, East Garfield Park, South Chicago, South Deering, West Garfield Park, Brighton Park, Near West Side, Gage Park, New City, Woodlawn, Englewood, Chicago Lawn, West Englewood, and North Lawndale.
3. Pilsen-Little Village Community Mental Health Center, Inc. DBA Pilsen Wellness Center in an aggregate amount up to 1,085,000.00, serving South Lawndale.
4. Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action, Inc in an aggregate amount up to 325,000.00, serving Maywood.
5. Roseland Ceasefire Project, Inc in an aggregate amount up to 980,000.00, serving Harvey.
6. Roseland Ceasefire Project, Inc in an aggregate amount up to 685,000.00, serving Dolton.
7. Violence Interrupters, NFP in an aggregate amount up to 465,000.00, serving Austin.
8. YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago in an aggregate amount up to 355,000.00, serving West Garfield Park.
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