Creating Impact in Our Communities
Chicago CRED’s estimated financial return on investment for taking violence prevention to scale at 19:1.
Making Decisions Based on Gun Violence Research
According to the University of Chicago Crime Lab, more than 50 percent of the shootings on Chicago’s South Side take place in less than 8 percent of the blocks, and more than 35 percent of the shootings on the West Side take place in about 5 percent of the blocks.
This is why broad-stroke citywide policies don’t work. CRED has developed highly targeted “place-based” strategies to intervene directly in ongoing disputes, drawing on both crime data and street intelligence from our outreach workers.
Hard to Measure Benefits Are The Greater By Far
If Chicago stops seeing gun violence as a crime problem, and instead sees it as a public health problem, we would pursue a cure based on three strategies: direct interventions with those at highest risk, cutting off the pipeline of young people into lives of crime, and providing community investments aimed at helping the broader population heal and thrive.
Saving Lives
In 2021, 800 people lost their lives to gun violence in Chicago. Chicago is the third largest city but has more homicides than New York City and Los Angeles combined. Our goal is to change this.
Reducing Trauma
Gun violence trauma extends far beyond the bullet to leave victims, perpetrators, families, and communities with lasting emotional, physical, legal, and financial impacts. We want to reduce violence and start the healing process.
Transforming Communities
Imagine for a moment that we didn’t associate the South Side of Chicago with gun violence. How would that transform the communities in those neighborhoods and beyond? We’re on a mission to find out.
Restoring Hope
With a better model for reducing gun violence, we’re beginning to restore hope for ourselves and the communities we serve by bringing tangible, meaningful change to Chicago and the cities that seek to learn from us.
Neighborhood Science for Neighborhood Solutions
The Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (Corners) is housed at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research. Working with them, we develop transformative research projects with community and civic partners, aimed at improving health and safety for more equitable neighborhoods.
THESE MEN ARE THE SOLUTION; THEY’RE NOT THE PROBLEM.
“These are amazing young men who have been through a lot and want something better for themselves. They want something better for their children. Many have always been leaders; they’re just leading in a positive direction now. They are the solution; they’re not the problem, and they are leading Chicago to a safer place.”
ARNE DUNCAN | CHICAGO CRED, MANAGING PARTNER
Leveraging the transformative power of networks to build safer neighborhoods
The Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science and Corners Initiative currently serves as CRED’s research partner, analyzing the program’s impact on its participants and their communities according to key metrics (i.e., violent behavior and/or victimization). In addition to ongoing quantitative analyses of CRED-engaged individuals and groups, Corners also conducts monthly field observations and interviews aimed at highlighting the rich, nuanced accounts of participants’ lives and program experiences.
Making Chicago a safer place to live, work, and raise families
Following a horrific increase in shooting and homicides in 2020, 2021 was another devastating year for gun violence in Chicago. We ended the year with over 800 homicides, a 25-year high. While these numbers are heartbreaking and unacceptable, we ended the year with a renewed sense of purpose in Chicago CRED’s mission and a humble but hopeful appreciation of what we have accomplished together. Take a moment to download and read our 2021 Annual Report.
A Radical Reduction in gun Violence is Within REach
We’re making strides to reduce gun violence and give high-risk individuals an alternative future. Let’s build a safer future together.