Community Violence Intervention
Street Team
Certified Curbside Counselors work throughout Akron to prevent violence, respond to conflict, build trusted relationships, and connect residents with practical support.
An initiative of Non Stop Growth in partnership with Minority Behavioral Health Group and funded by the City of Akron. The Street Team is an initiative, not a program. There is no application, enrollment, or volunteer role.
Violence prevention in practice
The Street Team’s work extends beyond responding to individual incidents. It includes neighborhood presence, coordinated violence-prevention efforts, public outreach, and continued engagement with residents and community organizations.
In August 2025, Non Stop Growth joined Akron community leaders in calling for a 72-hour ceasefire during Labor Day weekend. The effort included community events, neighborhood gatherings, youth activities, and direct conversations about violence and community responsibility.
News coverage
Ceasefire weekend
Akron community leaders called for 72 hours without violence and organized activities designed to bring residents together across the city.
View news coverageAdditional coverage: Cleveland 19 News
How the Street Team works
Be present
Curbside Counselors maintain a consistent presence and build relationships with residents, families, and neighborhood leaders.
Prevent and respond
The team recognizes developing conflict, supports de-escalation, and follows up after incidents affecting the community.
Connect and continue
Residents are connected with behavioral health services, employment resources, youth programming, and other practical forms of support.
Curbside Counseling framework
Trained in the community. Grounded in the whole human.
Curbside Counselors are trained community-based professionals who respond to conflict, build trusted relationships, connect residents with support, and address conditions that can contribute to violence and instability.
Through Minority Behavioral Health Group, they receive certification grounded in African-centered Optimal Theory, a psychological framework developed by Dr. Linda James Myers.
Certified through
Minority Behavioral Health Group
Framework
African-centered Optimal Theory
Developed by
Dr. Linda James Myers
Independent evaluation, June 2026
Impact at a glance
An independent, mixed methods evaluation of the 18 month Akron Street Team pilot (January 2025 through June 2026) found uniformly positive results for Curbside Counselors working at the intersection of street level crisis intervention and trauma informed behavioral health care.
- Individuals reached organization wide
- 5,000+Individuals reached organization wide
- Reduction in shooting victimizations in the Street Team focus area, compared with a 21 percent citywide decline
- 59%Reduction in shooting victimizations in the Street Team focus area, compared with a 21 percent citywide decline
- Points of contact delivered between October 2025 and May 2026
- 889Points of contact delivered between October 2025 and May 2026
- Unique high-risk individuals engaged by two full-time Curbside Counselors
- 221Unique high-risk individuals engaged by two full-time Curbside Counselors
- Of participants reported being very satisfied with the support received
- 92%Of participants reported being very satisfied with the support received
Reducing Gun Violence in Akron
A Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Akron Street Team Pilot, 2025–2026
Key findings
- 51 active conflicts mediated and 24 peace or no slide agreements secured.
- 16 types of wraparound services provided, concentrated on basic needs, employment referrals and emotional regulation.
- Participants described counselors as trusted mentors, big brothers and essential father figures.
- Backed by national CVI research showing a $7.20 return for every dollar invested, the pilot's $185,000 investment is projected to generate at least $1.332 million in projected local economic benefit.
- 56 percent of surveyed participants reported an Adverse Childhood Experiences score of 4 or higher, far above the national adult average of 17 percent.
- 23 percent of participants experience or witness violence daily or weekly.
Allyson Drinkard, Ph.D. (Drinkard Enterprises, Inc.) and Stacey Nofziger, Ph.D. (University of Akron). Prepared for the City of Akron. Submitted June 30, 2026.
Professional learning
Connected to the national conversation
Non Stop Growth participates in Community Violence Intervention conferences and professional learning spaces to exchange knowledge, examine emerging practices, and strengthen the work being carried out in Akron.
The Street Team partnership
The Street Team combines community leadership, behavioral health expertise, and municipal support through a coordinated Community Violence Intervention effort.