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NSG Institute for Community Violence Intervention

Practice Analysis | 2026

What Is Community Violence Intervention?

How a community-based public safety approach concentrates outreach on the people and conflicts most closely associated with gun violence.

M. McDaniel, M. McDaniel

Abstract

Community violence intervention concentrates relationships, services and follow-up on the small number of people and disputes most likely to produce gunfire. This analysis sets out a working definition, describes the daily practice, explains why violence concentration makes focused outreach viable, and outlines how Non Stop Growth carries out the work in Akron, Ohio.

Context

Definition

Community violence intervention, usually shortened to CVI, is a community-based approach to public safety. It concentrates relationships, services and follow-up on the small number of people who are most likely to shoot someone or be shot, and on the conflicts most likely to turn into gunfire.

CVI is not policing and it is not prosecution. It operates before and after those systems, through outreach workers who are already trusted in the neighborhoods where violence is concentrated.

Practice Observation

What CVI work actually involves

The daily work is relational rather than procedural. It usually includes some combination of the following:

  • Identifying conflicts early and mediating them before they escalate
  • Responding after a shooting to reduce retaliation
  • Sustained one-to-one relationships with people at highest risk
  • Connecting people to behavioral health support, housing, identification, transportation and income
  • Working with families and with institutions such as schools, hospitals and correctional facilities

Evidence / Literature

Why it is treated as a distinct field

Violence concentrates. In most cities a very small share of residents, blocks and disputes account for a large share of shootings. That concentration is what makes focused outreach practical: a small team of trusted people can reach the specific individuals and disputes that drive the numbers.

CVI is also cumulative. Trust built over months is what makes a mediation possible on a single night, which is why staffing stability and follow-through matter more than event volume.

Practice Application

How Non Stop Growth practices CVI

Non Stop Growth is an Akron, Ohio nonprofit that carries out community violence intervention through the Akron Street Team, staffed by certified Curbside Counselors, and extends that work into correctional institutions, youth development and workforce preparation.

The Akron Street Team has been independently evaluated. The evaluation and the organization's broader reach are documented on the impact page.