The HAVI Celebrates California’s Historic Enactment of Law to Fund Community Violence Intervention

September 27, 2023 — Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 28, the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act, which will create a fund to support programs addressing different facets of gun violence, including approximately $75 million annually for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant Program. The CalVIP Grant Program, which is administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections, provides funding to cities and community-based organizations for the development and expansion of evidence-based violence reduction strategies, including hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs).

The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI)—an organization that fosters a nationwide network of HVIPs—is proud to have worked alongside a broad coalition of groups, including California-based HAVI member programs such as Youth ALIVE!, to develop and secure passage of this groundbreaking legislation. The HAVI applauds the California State Legislature and Governor Newsom for taking historic action to fund the state’s community violence intervention and prevention programs.  

“California’s Assembly Bill 28 will provide a stable, long-term source of critically needed funding to support and sustain the state’s hospital-based violence intervention programs, which provide wraparound services to violently injured patients while they’re recovering from their injuries,” said Fatimah Loren Dreier, Executive Director of the HAVI. “Additionally, the law’s funding for the state’s CalVIP program will power the work of cities to build comprehensive community violence ecosystems that can effectively address violence in the state’s hardest hit communities.”

Founded in 2009, the HAVI is a national organization that fosters a network of HVIPs, which provide services for victims of community violence while they are recovering from their injuries. These programs address the social determinants of health for victims of firearm injury and are a critical component of a comprehensive CVI ecosystem. The HAVI serves over 85 cities in the U.S. and beyond, providing training and technical assistance and support with strategic communications, policy development, peer learning, and research. The HAVI also works to shift narratives about violence and trauma in communities of color and partners with its members to advance policy and research that address violence as a public health emergency.