The HAVI Responds to the 2024 Presidential Election

November 6, 2024 — The HAVI, an organization committed to building hospital-based violence intervention programs and promoting healing and equity for communities most affected, issued the following statement today in response to the election of Donald Trump:

“The origins of the HVIP model and Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI) date back decades and have spanned multiple presidential administrations, both Democrats and Republicans. Throughout it all, our focus has remained clear — to reduce violence, particularly in communities of color, by advancing hospital-based violence intervention programs and coordinated, community-led violence intervention ecosystems that heal trauma and promote equity.

The community violence intervention strategies we promote have bipartisan support at the local, state, and federal levels. We must continue to work together to save lives and advance a public health approach.

When communities adopt a public health approach to gun violence, we see meaningful progress. There have been significant reductions in violence since 2020, including the largest ever single year decline in homicides in 2023 — a drop of nearly 12 percent. The creation of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention helped to further drive progress on this issue and create better coordination across the federal government. We are hopeful the Trump administration will continue to build upon this momentum and support the proven strategies that make Americans safer. The HAVI is prepared to work with the Trump-Vance administration to combat gun violence and keep our communities safe.”