City of Orlando commissioners will consider approving a grant for $1.5 million toward the expansion of a program seeking to reduce the number of firearm fatalities in the area.
The Community Violence Initiative, or CVI, began in November 2022 in Orlando. The program, based out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focuses on peer mentors reaching out to individuals who are at risk of committing gun violence in five Orlando neighborhoods: Carver Shores, Holden Heights, Mercy Drive, Parramore, and Rosemont. The latter was added to the program in March 2023.
If approved, the grant from the U.S. Department of Justice would expand CVI resources into the Lake Mann, Richmond Heights, and Signal Hill neighborhoods.
During the program’s pilot year, the city saw a 20% reduction in firearm homicides, according to data gathered by the Center for Global Healthy Cities - a research group run by the University of California, Berkeley.
In that time frame, mentors were able to de-escalate 241 events between rival groups in the neighborhoods. At least 10 reports account for guns being present.
CVI’s success depends on mentors inserting themselves into the community, spending months getting closer to individuals and supporting them, said Abe Morris, the youth and families division manager for the City of Orlando.
“If we're going to address gun violence it is important that to address it, we connect with those individuals who are likely to shoot or be shot on a daily basis,” Morris said.
CVI enrolls 47 “fellows” from the five neighborhoods. Morris said almost half are receiving therapy every week. About 83% were not arrested on a gun charge since the start of the program. One fellow was reported as being killed.
“56% of the 47 participants in the program had a previous injury due to gun violence. So it is a very specific group of individuals who are at high risk of either being at the root cause of gun violence or being a victim of gun violence,” Morris said.
Additionally, mentors provide simpler connections and resources as well.
“Just the fundamentals of a driver's license or social security card to be able to establish to get a job right, some of those basic fundamentals that we take for granted every single day is some of the starting points with participants of the program because they never really had anyone to guide them through that process,” Morris said.
Orlando commissioners will consider the grant for approval on Monday afternoon.
