WASHINGTON — Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), recently issued a statement applauding California Governor Jerry Brown for authorizing funding for the California Violence Intervention Prevention Program (CalVIP), formerly CalGRIP.

The 2017-2018 California State Budget includes over $9 million for CalVIP, which is one of the only sources of state-level funding for locally driven violence prevention strategies. Earlier this year, attorneys from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Americans for Responsible Solutions testified in support of CalVIP.

Gabrielle Giffords:
“Under the leadership of Governor Brown, California continues to be a national leader in reducing gun violence and the CalVIP program is another shining example of how strategic, localized gun violence prevention strategies can reduce violence and save innocent lives. California’s gun violence prevention advocates and public safety officials have long called on their state’s leaders to do even more to protect families from gun violence. By funding this important program, California is taking yet another strong step in the right direction.”

In recent years, CalGRIP grantee cities across California, including Los Angeles, San Jose, and Oakland, have achieved life-saving, cost-effective reductions in both violent crime and incarceration by implementing programs that provide focused outreach, counseling, and other services to at-risk youth. For example:
• The program has provided Los Angeles $3 million over the past three years to help fund its Gang Reduction and Youth Development project. Los Angeles has seen a 38 percent reduction in homicides and 46 percent reduction in aggravated assaults since launching the project in 2007. (FBI Uniform Crime Reports)
• Over the past three years, the program has provided the City of Richmond $1.5 million to help fund the Office of Neighborhood Safety — a city agency dedicated exclusively to the prevention of violence. Richmond has seen a more than 50 percent reduction in fatal shootings since ONS launched in 2007. (Office of Neighborhood Safety)
• The program has provided $1.5 million to Oakland to fund Operation Ceasefire, the city’s project to reduce gun violence. Oakland has seen a 34 percent drop in gun homicides and a 39 percent reduction in non-fatal shootings since launching Operation Ceasefire in late 2012.(California Partnership for Safe Communities)

In March 2016, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released a groundbreaking report, Healing Communities in Crisis, highlighting the importance of locally driven violence prevention and intervention strategies — exactly the kind of solutions supported by CalVIP funding.

To learn more about the CalVIP program, or to arrange time to speak with an expert, contact Sean Simons at sean@responsiblesolutions.org.