The Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative Research and Evaluation Technical Assistance Center (CVIPI RE-TAC) uses evidence-based strategies to support communities affected by violence. The center offers CVIPI grantees and their research partners tailored support to create effective measurement tools and evaluate the impact of community violence interventions. CVIPI RE-TAC works to build strong research-practitioner partnerships, turning evidence into practical solutions to reduce and prevent community and gun violence nationwide.
CVIPI RE-TAC is funded by the National Institute of Justice and works in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, and the California Partnership for Safe Communities. The center is part of the Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, an initiative of the US Department of Justice launched in 2022 as a historic federal investment in community violence intervention programs. That broader initiative seeks to prevent and reduce violent crime by supporting programs that use comprehensive, evidence-based violence intervention and prevention strategies and involve partnerships between community residents, local government agencies, victim service providers, community-based organizations, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, researchers, and other stakeholders.
WHAT WE DO
CVIPI RE-TAC supports grantees and their research partners in making a real impact on community violence prevention by providing the following:
- Needs assessments: Whether they are just starting out or looking to improve an existing evaluation framework, we provide grantees with needs assessments to guide them in building or strengthening their community violence interventions’ measurement and evaluation approaches.
- Online training series: Our core curriculum offers online training on the essentials of performance measurement and evaluation, tailored to the specifics of community violence intervention work.
- Peer-learning support: We facilitate peer-learning opportunities for grantees ready to dive into more complex questions about measuring and evaluating community violence interventions.
- Expert consultation: Experienced researchers at the Urban Institute and our partners can provide one-on-one guidance on best practices in evaluation and measurement strategies.
- Practical resources: We share valuable lessons learned and promising practices through case studies, web-based toolkits, and other user-friendly resources.
- Training opportunities: We provide virtual sessions to help build evidence in the field and share emerging insights.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Community violence interventions (CVIs) are designed to prevent and reduce violence in neighborhoods by addressing its root causes and providing support to those at elevated risk of experiencing it. These interventions often involve community-based organizations, local leaders, and individuals with relevant lived experience who work together to mediate conflicts, offer resources and supports to people and communities impacted by violence, and create safer environments. Community violence interventions have shown great promise in reducing crime and fostering long-term public safety by building trust, promoting positive relationships, and providing alternatives to violence.