Virginia Community Violence Coalition Recommendations for the Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center

About the Coalition

The Virginia Community Violence Coalition is a network of practitioners, advocates, policymakers, researchers, activists, and survivors. We share a goal to reduce shootings, stabbings, and other assaults in Virginia’s cities over the next five years. We want Virginia to become a national leader in addressing community violence. We support community-based solutions, a public health approach, and meaningful investment in what works.

Purpose

This memo shares recommendations from the coalition on the roles and responsibilities of the Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center. This is informed by perspectives from a variety of roles and regions within the Commonwealth. We urge the work group to build a Center that is practical, trusted, and grounded in the experience of the people doing this work every day.

Recommendations

1. Make community voices part of leadership and decision-making. The people closest to the work should help shape the Center from the start. That includes practitioners, survivors, community leaders, and local organizations. Too often, state systems are built without enough input from people on the ground. The Center should correct that by creating strong ways for community partners to guide priorities, advise on funding, and stay involved over time.

2. Be clear on the problem the Center is addressing. The Center should have a well defined mission. A clear scope will make the Center easier to build, easier to explain, and more likely to last. It will also help the state direct resources where they are most needed. How violence is defined is crucial - members urge state leaders to consider more than just how violence is committed but also the who and the why. 

3. Place the Center where it has strong infrastructure and sustainability. The Center should sit in a part of state government that can support grantmaking, coordination, and long-term growth. Many coalition members believe the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is a strong option because it already has grant systems, staff, and research capacity. Some members also raised the Attorney General’s Office as a possible home. Regardless of placement, the work group should build on the work already underway in the Office of Safer Communities at DCJS. Members also pointed to earlier state agency coalitions on this issue and urged the state to learn from and rebuild those efforts rather than start from scratch. Whatever the final choice, the Center should be built to last and should be able to act quickly.

4. Make technical assistance and training core functions. Many programs need support, not just funding. The Center should provide practical help on how to start, grow, and strengthen violence prevention efforts. This should include training, tools, and hands-on guidance for community groups, local governments, schools, and law enforcement. The Center can help partners work together and use strategies that are proven or promising in real settings.

5. Create a shared home for tools, model policies, and best practices. Local partners need access to clear and practical information. The Center should serve as a central place for model policies, best practices, sample tools, and implementation guidance. This would help localities and organizations learn from one another and avoid building everything from scratch. It would also make it easier for new programs to get started on strong footing.

6. Use data to guide investment and action. The Center should collect and use data in ways that help communities. Data should show where violence is happening, where services already exist, and where the biggest gaps remain. A statewide landscape analysis would help Virginia direct funding to the places that need it most. Better data can also help the state compete for federal resources and improve future decisions.

7. Support research and evaluation that helps local programs. The Center should not only collect information, it should also help local programs learn what is working. Research funding should be a specific part of this work. The state should set aside funding so localities and community groups can hire evaluators, partner with researchers, and document outcomes. That would strengthen local efforts and build a stronger Virginia-based evidence base over time. The Center can also gather feedback from grantees and frontline partners so that state support improves from year to year.

8. Strengthen coordination across agencies and with local partners. Gun violence prevention touches many systems. The Center should help connect state agencies, local governments, and community organizations. Members pointed to the value of past cross-agency coordination and the need to rebuild that kind of structure. Better coordination can reduce duplication, close gaps, and make state efforts more useful to local communities.

9. Help community groups get ready for funding. Community-based groups should not be shut out because they lack grant capacity. The Center should help groups prepare for funding opportunities by improving communication, building grant writing and grant management skills, and making the process easier to understand. Community partners should also have a way to give input before grants are released. This would support better stewardship of public dollars and stronger local programs.

10. Build the Center to support the whole field. The Center will need sufficient staff and regional reach to be effective across Virginia, not just in urban centers. Coalition members raised the need for regional resource coordinators and enough staff to manage grants, provide training, convene partners, support research, and connect with agencies. These supports can strengthen prevention work and help communities respond to harm in a more complete way.

Closing

Virginia has a real chance to build a Gun Violence Prevention Center that is practical, trusted, and effective which will ultimately make all Virginians safer. To do that, the Center must stay focused, support community-based work, and be shaped by the people closest to the problem and the solutions. The coalition welcomes the chance to continue working with the work group as this effort moves forward.