DEPARTMENT
OF VIOLENCE
PREVENTION
STRATEGIC
SPENDING PLAN
CITY OF OAKLAND
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 01
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Gun and gender based violence
have been a decades long fight
for the City of Oakland.
Government agencies,
non-profit service providers,
and community members have
worked tirelessly to end gun
violence and human trafficking
in Oakland. And while the city
has seen some progress, it has
been widely uneven. Gun and
intimate partner violence and
sexual exploitation continue to
plague black and brown
communities at alarming rates.
According to 2020 report Living
with Impunity over the last
decade 76% of the homicide
victims were African American.
During that same period of
time police made arrests in
approximately 40% of
homicides involving black
victims, and 80% of cases
involving white victims. In some
East and West Oakland
neighborhoods, less than one in
three homicides resulted in an
arrest during the last decade.
Additionally, 90% of homicide
victims and suspects in
Oakland are African-American
and Latino men between the
ages of 18 and 35. And Oakland
continues to be a West Coast
hub for sex trafficking, with
Alameda County’s H.E.A.T
(Human Exploitation and
Trafficking) Watch reporting
that 63% of youth involved in
“the life” are African American
girls.
Once the global COVID-19
pandemic hit Oakland in March
2020, it added to significant
vulnerabilities of communities
already on the edge. School
closures, the loss of jobs, and
stay-at-home orders exposed
and contributed to a rise in
shootings, intimate partner
violence and homicides. And
increases in the use of the
internet and people taking
more risks to desperately make
up for lost income has
amplified the opportunity for
human trafficking.
The Department of Violence
Prevention (DVP) was
established in 2017 to tackle the
problem of violence in Oakland.
Where previous city programs
focused primarily on those at
the center of violence, the DVP
has an expanded prevention
and intervention mission of
advocating for and supporting
families impacted by unsolved
cold cases and addressing
broader community trauma.
The ultimate goal is a safer and
thriving Oakland for all.
However, no department,
community organization or
individual is capable of
stopping gun and
gender-based violence alone. A
challenge of this magnitude
requires significant investment
in resources and collaboration
with dedicated partners. It also
requires a focused approach to
ensure that the right funding
and services get to the
communities and people who
are most in need.
Through the application of a
public health approach, the
Department of Violence
Prevention has prioritized the
following investments and
strategies for combating violent
crime in Oakland. These
strategies emphasize
coordination of public systems
and community-based services
with a joint focus on youth and
young adults at highest risk of
violence as guided by data
analysis.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 02
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND
Oakland has hit a state of
emergency. As the City begins
to heal from the trauma caused
by COVID-19, another public
health crisis is on the rise --
violent crime. COVID-19 has
triggered a surge in gun and
gender-based violence.
The toll of gun and gen-
der-based violence has been
felt mostly by Oakland’s black
and brown communities. In
2020, 78% of shooting victims
were African-American and
Latinx and overwhelmingly
male. And for Oakland sexually
exploited youth, 64% are African
American and 15% Latina girls
respectively.
These high rates of violence
have consistently been concen-
trated in neighborhoods within
East, Central East and West
Oakland. These areas consis-
tently contain roughly half of all
shootings resulting in injury
and contained one-third of
reported incidents of intimate
partner violence (based on data
from 2018-2020). In 2020, the
trends continued with deep
East Oakland experiencing
even higher rates of gun
violence than the previous two
years.More than half of all
shootings take place between
6:00pm and 12:00am and often
increase on the weekends. And
violent crime tends to rise along
with the temperatures, as
summer months (July, August)
typically see more police activi-
ty.
And finally, in 2020, these
neighborhoods experienced
some of the highest rates of
COVID-19 infection, causing
even more trauma and stress.
And while these numbers
emphasized the urgency for
intervention and action, the
response to address these
communities in crisis revealed a
harsh truth. While the viral
pandemic prompted an
extraordinary federal, state, and
local government response, the
gun violence epidemic in
Oakland has not triggered a
similar emergency effort.
During the pandemic, many of
Oakland's violence prevention
initiatives were disrupted by the
shelter-in-place orders includ-
ing in-person life coaching and
Ceasefire call-ins and have yet
to return to full scale. And
violence prevention and inter-
vention budgets have remained
stagnant or even reduced,
leaving many community
members struggling during a
time when support is needed
most.
60%
INCREASE IN SHOOTINGS
FROM 2019 (815 V 1303)
100
SHOOTINGS PER MONTH
JUNE - DECEMBER 2020
77%
INCREASE IN
FEMALE SHOOTING
VICTIMS IN 2020
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 03
COST OF VIOLENCE
Growing up in the midst of community violence can impact youths’ social, emotional, behavioral and cognitive development. It can disrupt their baseline of safety, making it more difficult for entire families and communities to sustain a sense of stability. For those who live in or near places where violence is very common, the daily risks can take a toll on physical and emotional health. And the linger- ing psychological impacts left on children, with ongoing exposure to violence and trauma, are immeasurable. Community violence, espe- cially homicide, can destroy families as they struggle with the long afterlife of pain and trauma from losing a loved one prematurely and not having the necessary resources to process, heal and recover.
One shooting homicide is estimated to cost taxpayers $2.5 million through a mix of city, county and state funded agencies including local law enforcement, medical, justice system and incarceration costs, and lost tax revenue.
The cost of sexual violence in California is estimated as $1.9 billion annually, accounting for medical, investigation, criminal justice system, and incarceration costs. Every prevented sexual assault of an adult could save approximately $165,000 and of a child could save roughly $230,000.
Gun violence - violence committed with the use of firearms. Gender-based violence - violence that is directed at an individual based on his or her biological sex OR gender identity. It includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse, threats, coercion, and economic or educational deprivation, whether occurring in public or private life.
https://www.psych.uic.edu/research/urban-youth-trauma-center/public-awareness/understanding-community-vi olence
https://costofviolence.org/reports/stockton/
https://www.calcasa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CALCASA_CCofSV_FINALSpreads_2018.pdf 1 2
3 4
DVP MANDATES
Reduce levels of:
gun violence
intimate partner violence
commercial sexual exploitation
family trauma associated with
unsolved homicides
community trauma associated
with violence
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DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 04
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH
TO VIOLENCE AND INTERVENTION
The council resolution that created the DVP mandated that the DVP use a public health approach to addressing
violence in Oakland. A public health approach focuses on both, the root causes of violence, as the well as specific individual, peer, family, and community active levels of violence. and guides a coordinated approach for violence prevention that engages diverse sectors. Public health uses data to understand how frequently violence occurs, when and where it occurs the most and who is most vulnerable of being impacted (both those harmed and those causing
harm), and then uses these data to engage stakeholders in the development of community solutions to prevent
violence, promote healing, and restore communities.
The following model has been adopted by the Center for
Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and other national health organizations, as the proven
approach for a violence prevention and intervention
framework:
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH IS
DATA DRIVEN.
That means looking at the specific
profile of violence in the community,
who is most affected, what's
contributing, and what's helping to
create safety.
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH
LOOKS AT COMMUNITY CONDITIONS.
Our surroundings shape our
experiences and behaviors, so
successful prevention plans cultivate
safety in streets, parks, jobs, schools,
places of worship, and elsewhere.
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH IS
COLLABORATIVE.
It brings together community
members from all corners of the city,
including faith leaders, youth,
grassroots organizers, political leaders,
business owners, and people who
represent many types of organizations
and agencies.
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH PUTS
COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE LEAD.
The people who are most impacted by
violence have some of the best and
most creative ideas about how to
prevent it.
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH
INCLUDES HEALING FROM TRAUMA
AS A KEY COMPONENT.
Trauma is a serious ailment in
communities with high levels of
violence. It can cause a breakdown of
the community’s social networks,
relationships, trust, and positive social
norms—all of which could otherwise
help protect the community from
violence and trauma and prevent both
from occurring in the first place.
PUBLIC HEALTH
APPROACH
TO VIOLENCE PREVENTION
CONSIDERS
COMMUNITY
CONDITIONS
DATA
DRIVEN
INCLUDES
HEALING FROM
TRAUMA PUTS
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
IN THE LEAD
COLLABORATIONS
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 05
WHY WE NEED A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH
FOR ADDRESSING VIOLENCE IN OAKLAND
CLUSTERING
SPREAD
TRANSMISSION
Oakland crime is concentrated. It happens in specific
neighborhoods where the underlying conditions, including high rates of shootings, create potential for violent behavior.
Gun and gender based violence during the pandemic has
spread to a new populations, some as young as middle
schoolers and violence by and against women increasing, and is always in constant danger of spreading further.
Oakland’s poorer, marginalized communities of color who have historically experienced violence disproportionately are highly susceptible as – “hurt people, hurt people” - and exposure rates to violence creates vulnerable behaviors among community members.
Violence has been characterized as an epidemic in Oakland for many years, deserving of an emer- gency public health response and the characteristics of violence in Oakland share the same characteristics of an infectious disease epidemic:
CHARACTERISTICS OF
EPIDEMICS IN POPULATIONS
CHARACTERISTICS OF
VIOLENT CRIME IN OAKLAND
Based on available data, the DVP will apply the public health approach to:
HOW THE DEPARTMENT OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION WILL APPLY
THE PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH
Focus on the specific places in Oakland with underlying conditions that generate the highest rates of violence;
Support the specific people determined to be at: the center of violence, in-risk or at-risk for violence and exposed/adjacent to violence;
Direct interventions to the individual, peer, family, and community levels; and Provide services at the times and days of the week when violence occurs most; and Reductions in the conditions described in DVP mandates will result. •
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EXPOSED
AT RISK
AT THE CENTER
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 06
DVP FOCUS POPULATIONS, PLACES
AND UNDERLYING CONDITIONS
AT THE CENTER
OF VIOLENCE
Individuals of any age who are creating or experiencing harm with gun violence, intimate partner violence, or commercial sexual exploitation.
AT RISK
FOR VIOLENCE
Individuals of any age who are highly susceptible to creating or experiencing harm with gun violence, intimate partner violence, or commercial sexual exploitation.
EXPOSED
TO VIOLENCE
Overall population living in neighborhoods of focus.
East, Central East and West Oakland have been hot spots for community violence. These neighborhoods have historically endured racism, economic insecurity and lack of job opportunities and new stressors like the lack of affordable housing, displacement and COVID have entered into the mix. These components have contributed to vulnerabilities to violence experience at the individual, family, peer and community levels.
Underlying conditions in these
neighborhoods include:
multi-generational trauma
economic stress
structural racism and sexism
group or gang violence
disproportionate criminal justice
involvement; and
exposure to high-levels of crime and
violence
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DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 07
DEVELOPING THE DEPARTMENT OF VIOLENCE
PREVENTION STRATEGIC PLAN
Community engagement is
central to any public health
intervention. Its importance is
even more significant during
public health emergencies.
Community engagement
involves those affected in
understanding the risks they
face, and involves them in
response actions that they had
a part in creating.
DVP staff designed a
community engagement
strategy to seek input about
violence prevention and
intervention strategies- both
current and proposed- along
with new ideas generated from
those who attended. Three
virtual town halls directed at
each region of the City- West,
Central East and Deep East-
were scheduled to solicit input
from Oakland residents in those
regions and from community
-based organizations who serve
them. A fourth town hall was
conducted for youth and young
adults and the issues of violence
they face. From mid-February to
mid-April 2021, over 430 people
contributed insights through
four town halls nine focus
groups, and interviews with 28
stakeholders. All town halls were
open to the public and averaged
92 attendees at each event.
Additionally, smaller focus
groups ranging from 15-60
attendees each were held for
family members who have lost
loved ones to violence, DVP
providers (by strategy), program
participants, Asian American
community advocates, public
health and violence prevention
experts, Ceasefire partners and
the Reimagining Public Safety
Task Force members.
Stakeholder interviews included
public systems partners such as
Alameda County Probation, as
well as the Alameda County
District Attorney’s Office,
Alameda County Public
Defender’s Office, Oakland
Unified School District (OUSD),
Alameda County Office of
Education, and Alameda County
Behavioral Health Care Services.
All of the listening sessions
included small group
discussions that maximized
participation, stimulated
conversation, and allowed
participants to offer their voices
and direct input. A range of
ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY FOR INSIGHT AND UNDERSTANDING
expertise and lived experience
was evident in each session
with the majority of attendees
being African-American and
other people of color from
Oakland neighborhoods where
violence is most prevalent.
In their feedback from these
sessions community members
lifted-up several over-arching
themes that they believe are
critical to addressing violence
in Oakland and in need of
resources and investment.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 08
DEVELOPING THE DEPARTMENT OF VIOLENCE
PREVENTION STRATEGIC PLAN
Prioritize investments in people and places most impacted by violence Elevate and develop natural, homegrown expertise of community leaders to address violence prevention from within the community Provide services and programs for youth living in neighborhoods with high violence exposure rates
Provide financial and employment support that addresses the economic insecurity that leads to poverty and homelessness Provide culturally relevant mental health services to address multi-generational trauma and assist with individual and community healing
Improve coordination between and across city departments and community organizations
Adequate funding is needed for the Department of Violence Prevention to tackle both violence prevention and intervention; particularly for youth programs and gender-based violence Educate the community on all of the available resources delivered by the DVP and its network of partners
A balance of community approaches is needed to address conflicts that do not require law enforcement presence as well as those conflicts of extreme violence that residents perceive require constitutional law enforcement efforts.
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THEMES FROM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INCLUDE:
These community engagement sessions stressed the importance of a collaborative approach where community members feel heard, understood and part of the solution.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 09
INTERVENTION AND
PREVENTION STRATEGIES
The Department of Violence Prevention network is prepared to deliver a comprehensive approach that aligns to the vulnerability levels of the community. However, several services may overlap to support community members at different vulnerability levels. Therefore, the plan in meant to be considered as a connected framework that has degrees of flexibility.
The following provides additional details on the public health approach and strategies adopted by the Department of Violence Prevention based on the data gathered to inform their recommendations.
While the DVP is confident these services will have a positive impact on Oakland's most vulnerable communities, to meet the needs demanded by the scope and scale of our City's crisis of violence, additional funding is critically needed to expand, deepen and sustain these services.
A HEALTHY,
SAFE AND THRIVING
OAKLAND
AT THE CENTER OF VIOLENCE
Tertiary interventions to interrupt and prevent future risk
AT RISK
Secondary prevention
strategies to create protective
community environment
EXPOSED
Primary prevention strategies
to strengthen family and
community connections
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 03
Violent Incident Crisis Response
• Hospital-based Intervention
• Violence Interruption
• Temporary Relocation
• Homicide Response for Family
Youth and Adult Life Coaching
Youth Reentry Coordination
Youth and Adult Employment
Support and Placement
Triangle Incident Response at
crime-scene
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•
$4.4 MILLION
GUN / GROUP /GANG
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
50%
INVESTMENT
24-hour IPV Survivor Hotline
Legal Advocacy for IPV
Bedside Advocacy for IPV
Increased Cultural and linguistic
capacity for IPV
Drop-in Center and Life Coaching for
CSE
Emergency Shelter/Safe Space for
both CSE and IPV
Therapeutic Support for both CSE
and IPV
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$2.2 MILLION
GENDER BASED
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
25%
INVESTMENT
Community Ambassadors
Community Healing Spaces and
Activities
Mental health and grief/trauma
supports
Family strengthening
Parks Events/Block Parties
Provider Network Capacity
Building/Trainings
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$2.2 MILLION
COMMUNITY HEALING
AND RESTORATION
25%
INVESTMENT
TIER 1 TOTAL ~$8.8 M
INTERNAL STAFF & CAPACITY CURRENT FUNDING (~ $3.65M) ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEEDED ~ $3.35M TOTAL FUNDS NEEDED: $32M $25M SERVICES + $7M DVP INTERNAL STAFFING Transitional Housing
Youth Drop-In Neighborhood Centers
Reentry Hub
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$3.1 MILLION
Transitional Housing
Systems Data Collection/Research
Development
Policy Advocacy/Organizing
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$1.55 MILLION
More resources to scale-up:
Grassroots Mini-grants
Leadership Development
(Youth/Adults)
Plus:
Policy Advocacy/Organizing
Roving Medical Clinics
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$1.55 MILLION
TIER 3 ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEEDED $6.2 M
More resources to scale-up:
Violent Incident Crisis Response
Services
Youth and Adult Life Coaching
Youth and Adult Employment
Support and Placement
Triangle Incident Response
Plus:
Youth Diversion and other youth
programs
Neighborhood teams
Community Education Campaign
School-based Restorative/ Wellness
Centers
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More resources to scale-up:
24-hour IPV Survivor Hotline
Legal Advocacy for IPV
Life Coaching for CSE
Bedside Advocacy for IPV
Emergency Shelter/Safe Space
Cultural and linguistic capacity for IPV
Plus:
GBV-centered Employment Support
and Placement
GBV Support Groups
GBV-centered Leadership Development
Community Education Campaign
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More resources to scale-up:
Community Ambassadors
Community Healing Spaces and Activities
Mental health and grief/trauma supports
Family strengthening
Parks Events/Block Parties
Plus:
Mothers in Action
Grassroots mini-grants
Community Dialogue/Town Halls
Community Resident Capacity
Building/Trainings
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$5 MILLION $2.5 MILLION $2.5 MILLION
TIER 2 ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEEDED $10 M
A HEALTHY SAFE AND THRIVING OAKLAND FOR ALL
Direct Service Staff (Violence Interruption,
Community engagement and Life Coaches)
Fiscal/Administrative
Contract Management Research/Data/Evaluation
Communications/Public Relations
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Fund Development
Policy Reform/Advocacy
Internal training/capacity building;
Clinical supervision for Life Coaching staff
Mental health/healing supports for all staff
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DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 11
GUN / GROUP / GANG
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
GUN / GANG / GROUP
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
Community Violence
Resonders
Expanded
Employment
and Academic
Support
Long-term
Housing
Support
Expanded Youth and
Adult Life Coaching
Expanded Violent
Incident Crisis
Responses
Youth Diversion
School-based
Restorative
Centers
Amplified
Neighborhood
Teams
Youth and Family
Drop-in
Neighborhood
Centers
Community
Education
Campaign
Expanded
Triangle Incidence
Response
Hospital-based
Intervention
Temporary
Emergency
Relocation
Homicide
Response
Teams
Youth Reentry
Coordination
Youth and
Young Adult
Life Coaches
Youth and
YoungAdult
Employment
Training
and Placement
Transitional
Housing
AT THE CENTER OF VIOLENCE
AT RISK
EXPOSED
Additional Funds
Needed
Initial Investment
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 12
GUN / GROUP / GANG
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
Community Violence
Responders play a key role in
interrupting street-level
conflicts, with a focus on
disrupting retaliation and
group- or gang-related gun
violence. Community violence
responders are on-call around
the clock, seven days a week,
and deployed immediately after
a shooting with serious injury
has taken place. Community
violence responders go to crime
scenes, hospitals,
neighborhoods streets, and
homes to assess dynamics of
retaliation and potential for
mediation. Community violence
responders rely on community
credibility and intimate
knowledge of Oakland street
dynamics to intervene in and
de-escalate volatile situations
and assess for referrals to
community-based life coaching
and other support services
Triangle Incident Response
provides a coordinated crime
scene or hospital bedside
response- that aims to reduce
retaliatory group/gang related
and interpersonal violence,
reduce the levels of trauma
experienced by individuals,
families and impacted
community members, and
improve police-community
relationships. Triangle Incident
Response is a 24/7 real time
response to shootings with
serious injuries, homicides, and
gender-based violence by three
triangle partners
simultaneously- community
violence responders, DVP staff
as crisis response advocates,
and law enforcement.
Hospital-based intervention
starts with community-based
responders who meet people
where they are – be it at the
hospital or in their homes – and
walk with them as they
navigate crisis. Families and
individuals will be connected to
immediate resources including
case management, post-release
medical treatment and mental
health support. Primary
response is to referrals from
Highland Hospital.
Interventions in the cycle of gun violence to save lives and support healing for people who are shot in Oakland, particularly people connected with groups and gangs, and family members of homicide victims.
Efforts help them mediate their conflicts, and offer them coaching and resources as they move towards positive goals for themselves, their families, and their communities. These services, focused on people at the center of violence, are more intensive with a higher level of engagement and resources including stipends for individuals and families.
VIOLENT INCIDENT CRISIS RESPONSE
Temporary, emergency
relocation for community
members in immediate danger
of harm, following assessment
of lethality and likelihood of
mortal harm, includes
assistance locating family or
other supports out of the
area/state, that may provide a
place to relocate; and funding
for immediate relocation needs
such as: transportation,
temporary hotel stays, and
support for family providing
shelter in the new location.
Homicide Response Teams that
support family members and
loved ones who have lost
someone to intense violence
through immediate direct
service support and longer-term
advocacy. This includes
mobilization of resources for
burials and funerals, referrals to
DVP-funded grief counselling
services, accessing Victims’
Assistance Services, and liaising
with Oakland Police
Department investigators for
updates on cold (unsolved) cases.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 13
GUN / GROUP / GANG
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
Youth Reentry Coordination for
youth transitioning from the
Alameda County Juvenile
Justice Center. Services include
referrals to community-based
life coaching, rapid school
placement support from Oak-
land Unified School District,
supportive case planning with
Alameda County Probation, and
resource navigation such as
health care services, education
and employment support and
systems advocacy.
Youth and Young Adult Life
Coaches engage participants
who have experience with or are
at high-risk for becoming a
victim of or causing violence, by
meeting them where they are
at. Life coaching helps partici-
pants navigate systems and
access needed resources, and
includes frequent interaction,
structured dialogue (i.e. motiva-
tional interviewing), client-led
life mapping, stipends/incen-
tives for reaching milestones
and intentional family engage-
ment. Life Coaches are peer
professionals with similar life
experiences from similar com-
munities trained in ancestrally
informed approaches to access
family traditions and celebra-
tions passed down through
multiple generations. Life Coach
referrals sources include DVP
Network partners, Oakland
Ceasefire, AC Probation, High-
land Hospital and others.
Youth and Young Adult
Employment Training and
Placement meets participants’
immediate needs and enhances
their long-term job prospects
through the development of
skills and education. Programs
emphasize paid work
experience and career
exploration, opportunities for
certifications or educational
advancement, as well as
successful job placement and
retention supports.
Transitional Housing is
accessible, on a limited basis, to
participants in the life coaching
and gender-based services who
are unsheltered or vulnerably
housed. By funding a housing
case manager, DVP can access
term-limited rental assistance
through a partnership with the
in Human Services
Department’s Community
Housing Division.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 14
GUN / GROUP / GANG
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
Expanded employment and
academic support to serve
more individuals and family
members in need of transitional
employment and job place-
ment support.
Expanded Youth and Adult
Life Coaching to serve more
individuals and family members
in need of intensive, relation-
ship-based case management.
Expanded Community
Violence Responders to
increase capacity of communi-
ty-based street workers to
respond to and interrupt
violence in real-time in the
neighborhoods where it hap-
pens.
Youth Diversion programming
that uses restorative justice
practices with youth who have
been arrested, but not
sentenced, with the goal of
having charges dropped, or
that provides law enforcement
with an alternative option for
youth facing arrest.
School-based Restorative
Centers at high schools in the
neighborhoods with highest
rates of violence and shootings
that provide in-school support-
ive services that are cultural-
ly-responsive, trauma-informed
and relationship-based. Youth
are able to access support in
areas of conflict mediation,
violence interruption, life coach-
ing/mentorship, academic
counseling, mental and medi-
cal health, restorative practices
and employment support.
Scale-up violence interruption
through Neighborhood Teams
working in the neighborhoods
with highest rates of shooting
and homicide to provide com-
munity violence interruption,
youth and young adult life
coaching and community
ambassador activities and
events from a neighbor-
hood-based hub.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING CAN SUPPORT
Youth and Family Drop-In
Neighborhood Centers located
in existing city spaces to
provide positive evening and
weekend activities and events
for Oakland youth exposed to
and at high risk of engaging in
violence. Youth and families are
able to access support in areas
of conflict mediation, violence
interruption, life coaching/men-
torship, academic counseling,
mental and medical health,
restorative practices and
employment support.
Long-term Housing Support
designed to assist those at risk
of losing housing or who are
currently unhoused to navigate
housing resources and secure
subsidized rental assistance.
Participants are connected with
re-housing specialists trained to
support those who have experi-
enced violence and trauma,
particularly those who have
recently returned home from
incarceration.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 15
GUN / GROUP / GANG
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
IMPACT OF INVESTMENT
Shootings and homicides decrease
Participants successfully satisfy probation/parole mandates Participants and families feel supported during crisis
Participants and families transition out of immediate danger Participants and families avoid violent injury/re-injury Participants reduce risk behaviors related to violence
(e.g. carrying a weapon)
Participants strengthen their socio-emotional skills (e.g. resilience) Participants reduce or cease contact with the justice system Participants are employed and prepared to pursue longer-term goals Families improve their ability to provide more protection and mutual accountability for its members.
Families improve their ability to communicate more effectively with each other
Families improve their level of cohesion
Families increase their levels of adaptability
Youth have improved educational outcomes
Youth have caring relationships with positive adults and peers •
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Additional Funds
Needed
Initial Investment
GENDER BASED
VIOLENCE RESPONSE
Expanded
Wraparound
Support
Increased Flexible
Funds
Transitional
Housing
Employment
Support
and Placement
Support
Groups Advocacy
and Policy
Work
Community
Education
Campaign
Leadership
Development
and Male
Allyship
Training
Outreach and
Crisis Response
Culturally and
Linguistically
Appropriate
Services
Emergency
Housing
Wraparound
Support
LGBTQ+
Services
24-Hour
Bedside
Advocacy
AT THE CENTER
AT RISK
EXPOSED
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 16
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RESPONSE
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 17
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RESPONSE
Outreach and crisis response
that connects people to sup-
port as they transition out of
immediate danger including
crisis response hotlines and
drop-in centers.
Emergency housing that
provides a temporary safe place
for individuals to stabilize that
are experiencing commercially
sexually exploited or intimate
violence.
Scale-up wraparound
supports to address the unmet
needs of Oakland residents who
are experiencing IPV, domestic
violence and CSE.
Transitional housing for
individuals and families who
have experienced gender-based
violence and need safe and
secure housing to get back on
their feet.
Increased flexible funds to
support immediate needs and
provide for longer-term stability.
Wraparound supports such as
legal advocacy, family support,
life coaching, therapeutic
services (individual, group and
family), and other resources.
24-Hour Bedside Advocacy at
hospitals and community
clinics to provide support for
victims of sexual violence and
intimate partner violence.
Gender-based Violence (GBV) Response services require specific training and expertise to serve women, LGBTQIA+ and others who experience gendered violence- intimate partner violence (IPV), domestic violence and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). Services are directed to individuals and families to assist in recovering from the physical, psychological, and spiritually negative impact of physical or sexual abuse.
Advocacy and policy work on
behalf of gender-based violence
victims. These activities include
the emphasizing survivor voices
in advocating for policies that
include adequate data
gathering by police, academics,
and researchers around
gender-based violence.
Community-level education
designed to raise awareness of
the prevalence of the problem,
and equally as important the
access to the available resources.
Survivors will enhance their
recovery by using their
experiences to educate, promote
and build awareness, while avoiding
being defined by that experience.
GBV-centered Employment
Support and Placement
GBV-Centered Support Groups
GBV-centered Leadership
Development and Male
Allyship Training
ADDITIONAL FUNDING CAN SUPPORT
Culturally and linguistically
appropriate services designed
to reach marginalized,
immigrant communities (i.e.
Latin American and Southeast
Asian) and remove barriers to
accessing support.
Services designed specifically
for queer, trans, and gender
nonconforming people.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 18
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RESPONSE
IMPACT OF INVESTMENT
IPV victims access resources to increase longer-term safety (e.g. protection orders)
Decrease in IPV victims
Increase in awareness and education of IPV issues
Victims of commercial sexual exploitation transition out of immediate danger
CSE survivors access resources to increase long-term safety CSE survivors receive therapeutic support that helps them begin to heal from trauma
Increase in awareness and education of CSE issues
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Additional Funds
Needed
Initial Investment
COMMUNITY HEALING
AND RESTORATION
Community
Healing Spaces,
Activities and
Events
Resident Capacity
Building/Training
Expanded
Family
Support
Mothers
in Action
Grassroots
Mini-grants
Non-western
Healing Support
Family
Strengthening
Increased
Ambassadors
Community
Events
Community
Dialogues
Network
Strengthening
Community
Ambassadors
Mental Health
Counseling
AT THE CENTER
AT RISK
EXPOSED
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 19
COMMUNITY HEALING AND RESTORATION
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 20
COMMUNITY HEALING AND RESTORATION
Community Ambassadors
serve as credible messengers
and street outreach workers
whose primary focus is to
nurture and maintain relation-
ships with community mem-
bers, residents, merchants and
influential figures in the neigh-
borhoods they serve. They are
essential in developing
multi-generational, multi-cultur-
al relationships that can be
leveraged in times of crisis when
needed to mitigate inter-group
violence and retaliation. They
also lead outreach and promo-
tion of community events and
activities designed to restore,
strengthen and beautify the
neighborhood, while connect-
ing people to DVP network
services and other community
resources. Community ambas-
sadors are often young adults
with organic and firm ties to the
neighborhood who have
demonstrated leadership,
credibility and a commitment to
their own personal growth,
thereby serving as informal
mentors to youth and peers,
mediators of conflict and protec-
tors of their elders.
Mental Health Counseling
provided to homicide victims’
families and loved ones , as well
as to victims and survivors of
violence, which will include
clinical therapy and grief
counseling in one-on-one and
group settings delivered by
culturally-competent
practitioners specializing in
serving communities of color.
opportunities for neighborhood
residents to come together to
improve healing and well-being
in their neighborhoods.
Strengthening Oakland neighborhoods exposed to violence by lifting-up the wisdom of people closest to violence and deepening their skills to promote healing through community-led healing activities and events organized in partnership with DVP Community Ambassadors. Support for families following a loss to violence including grief and loss counseling.
Family Strengthening includes
structured activities that bring
families together in community
settings to build mutual
resilience, strengthen family
bonds and honor shared
cultures. Families will construct
asset-based genograms and
share in family ancestral
traditions through music, food,
photographs, recordings and
story-telling. Workshops will be
offered to counteract the history
of pathologizing of Black and
Brown families primarily as
sources of dysfunction by
offering instead strength-based
narratives and premises of
cultural pride and the family as a
source of healing and
transformation.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 21
COMMUNITY HEALING AND RESTORATION
Non-Western Healing Sup-
ports provide “non-traditional,
non-clinical” community heal-
ing services that engage indi-
viduals, families and communi-
ty in culturally-relevant, trau-
ma-informed activities. These
can include healing circles and
vigils after crises occur that
emphasize multi-generational,
multi-racial healing, natural
leadership development, and
relationship-building opportu-
nities for community members
from neighborhoods exposed/-
adjacent to violence. Efforts
such as neighborhood cleans-
ings, or limpias, celebration of
life events, and other cultural
ceremonies uplift homegrown,
cultural healing practices to
support those impacted by
shootings, homicides, assaults
and/or gender-based violence.
Community building and
collective healing through
survivor support groups or
“mothers’ circles” strengthens
community connections
through collaborative
Town Nights community
events serve as outlets for
community members to come
together and connect in safe,
positive spaces to build com-
munity, nurture relationships
and promote peace on the days
and nights when violence
happens most in the neighbor-
hoods most impacted. Town
Nights can take the form of
celebrations in parks, block
parties, or other community
gatherings designed to nurture
cross-racial, cross-cultural and
cross-generational relationships
before violence or crisis hap-
pens.
Community dialogues
sponsored by the DVP to
engage in virtual and in-person
town halls on a regular basis to
share information about
community violence activities
and learn from the community.
Strengthening the DVP Net-
work through training opportu-
nities and learning communi-
ties for the network of peer
providers, who are rooted in
Oakland and many have experi-
enced violence themselves, to
be ready to support and serve
Oakland residents. Training
may include family systems, life
coaching certification, conflict
mediation, cultivating male
allyship, and gender responsive
approaches.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 22
COMMUNITY HEALING AND RESTORATION
ADDITIONAL FUNDING CAN
SUPPORT
More Ambassadors and
Community Healing Spaces,
Activities and Events to
expand events and activities to
more areas of Oakland
Community resident capacity
building through training
opportunities and learning
communities for residents,
family members, grassroots
service providers, community
healers and mentors who are
organic to the target
neighborhoods. Training topics
may include family systems,
harm reduction, resource
navigation, conflict mediation
and de-escalation, cultivating
male allyship, gender
responsive approaches and
grant proposal writing.
Grassroots mini-grants for
natural leaders from
neighborhoods exposed to high
levels of violence to develop
homegrown ideas that promote
safety and healing in Oakland
to change norms around
violence and the stigma around
seeking support and healing.
Mini-grants support the
violence reduction work of
individuals and smaller
community-based
organizations with innovative
efforts to address violence.
Expanded community dialogues
Mothers in action engages
community members,
particularly mothers, who have
lost family members to
violence, in local and state level
advocacy campaigns designed
to raise awareness of the
trauma and pain that families
in Oakland endure during the
long afterlife of homicide.
Mothers in Action will engage
the public and policy-makers
through media outlets,
community events, town halls
and political forums. In
addition to informal therapeutic
support to help families process
and grieve loss collectively,
community members will gain
leadership and advocacy skills,
to reform policies around
eligibility criteria and access to
state and local level resources
for families of crime victims.
Policy advocacy and
organizing groups are
supported by investment to
strengthen community
organizing efforts focused on
criminal justice reform,
police/community relations,
violence
prevention/intervention
programs, victims/survivors’
support and other campaigns
to reduce violence and its
negative impacts on
community members.
Roving medical clinics provide
mobile services to communities
most impacted by violence and
COVID but with least access or
awareness of the resources
available. Services provided can
include medical check-ups,
dental or eye exams, COVID
testing and vaccinations,
Medi-Cal sign up, and other
medical service referrals.
DVP STRATEGIC SPENDING PLAN FY 22-24 23
COMMUNITY HEALING AND RESTORATION
IMPACT OF INVESTMENT
Community leaders are supported in their efforts to heal their own communities
Community members feel involved in reducing violence and are connected in positive ways
Participants and families begin to heal from trauma related to homicide and cold cases
Families increase their access to multigenerational emotional support Providers have strong skills that enhance their work and support their growth
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