strategic initiatives and partnerships

The everyday work of supporting participants consumes most of CRED’s time and resources, but we also have several targeted strategies to reduce gun violence and make communities safer.

flatlining violence inspires peace

The FLIP Program recruits men and women, who
are very close to the streets, to put down their guns,
and occupy 80-90 of the most violent locations in the city during evenings and weekends. Their presence alone has helped dramatically reduce shootings at these “hot spots.” The program began in 2018 with private funding and is now publicly funded and operating year-round in 14 Chicago communities.

Chicago Cred group speaking at an event
cred outreach workers talking on sidewalk

north lawndale collaborative

Most violence prevention programs show significant impacts with individuals, but less so with whole communities. Several organizations and community groups in Chicago are collaborating in one neighborhood, North Lawndale, to take the work to scale. By serving at least half of the approximately 1250 individuals at high risk, “The Collaborative” hopes to reach a tipping point that dramatically reduces gun violence community-wide.

Initial results are promising.

 

DRIVING CHANGE IN POLICY HALLS AND VOTING BOOTHS

We educate city leaders, state-level policy makers, and citizens on the value of violence prevention programs that create sustainable long-term change.

LEARN MORE ABOUT our ADVOCACY & POLICY WORK

 

Chicago CRED team looking victorious in courtroom
Group of people celebrating park building event

2020 vision campaign

Key influencers, especially in the music community, are helping reduce violence by creating anti-violence videos for CRED’s 2020 Vision campaign and posting them on Instagram.

Men at chicago cred graduation

out of town trips

To help participants stay safe during holiday weekends when gun violence often surges, CRED organizes out of town trips to places like Memphis, New Orleans, Atlanta and Washington D.C., exposing participants to historical sites, museums and cultural attractions.

 

Group of people celebrating park building event

research partners

CRED partners with The Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science Corners at Northwestern University to evaluate our programs, tell us what is working, and help us improve. Corners’s research shows that participants in our program are about 50% less likely to be shot or rearrested than they would be if not in CRED. Corners also helps CRED’s outreach workers understand how community networks can drive violence and foster peace.

Man speaking passionately into microphone

Court Referral

With the support of judges and prosecutors, CRED has begun partnering with the judicial system to provide alternatives to incarceration.

Men at chicago cred graduation

citywide coordination

To maintain trust with individuals at risk, violence prevention groups do not collaborate directly with police. However, CRED leaders, and our partners, regularly meet with police and other public agencies, to coordinate response and prevention measures.

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Follow along as we work toward our goal of reducing gun violence by 80% in five years.