A violence reduction strategy
The Woodfin administration has prioritized a three-pronged effort to address violent crime through investments in prevention and re-entry programs as well as enforcement. The strategy is called Common Ground and builds on the research and collaboration with multiple partners.
Common Ground is a trauma-informed strategy supported by community-based organizations. The city’s operating budgets represents a commitment to investment in areas to support not only enforcement, but prevention and re-entry. Combined, the investment in each of these initiatives supports an overall engagement to focus on the root causes of violence to enhance the continuum of care to better address prevention and re-entry. Programs and initiatives include:
H.E.A.T. Curriculum
Partners: City of Birmingham (Birmingham Municipal Court)
Birmingham City Schools, Community Coaches
City Investment: $1 million annually
Status: Active
The Habilitation, Empowerment, and Accountability Therapy (H.E.A.T.) curriculum is taught to more than 400 students from high schools, middle schools, K-8 and alternative schools within the Birmingham City Schools (BCS) district. The program uses an evidence-based, culturally relevant, holistic approach to handling anger management and conflict resolution.
This school year, the program extended into elementary schools
The curriculum began with support from up to 100 trained and credentialed coaches providing therapeutic counseling sessions two times a week within BCS. The program expanded into the summer months in 2023.
Hospital-linked Violence Intervention Program
Partners: City of Birmingham, Jefferson County Department of Health, UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Offender Alumni Association
City Investment: $2.1 million
Status: Active
The pilot program provides violence intervention specialists who assist in the delivery of case management services, including meeting with survivors of gun violence, providing connections to social, medical and mental health services and monitoring survivors’ progress over time. Jefferson County residents between the ages of 19-39 and who have survived a non-self-inflicted gunshot injury engage with violence intervention specialists while still in the hospital. Specialists coordinate with the outpatient clinical team for follow-up once the patient is discharged.
Mental Health Support for Birmingham City Schools Students
Partners: City of Birmingham, Birmingham City Schools
City Investment: $1 million annually
Status: Active
The City of Birmingham provides funding support to expand mental health services in Birmingham City Schools. Through the partnership, faculty, staff and support staff have received MANDT training. The MANDT System is a behavioral crisis interaction training, which teaches prevention and de-escalation techniques to help people safely manage behavior, so that everyone can be safe in their environment. The partnership helps BCS provide a full counselor staff for each school and a critical response team for each school.
RESTORE Pilot Project
Partners: City of Birmingham, Jefferson County Family Court,
Jefferson County Family Resource Center, Jefferson County Detention Center
City Investment: $225,000 annually
Status: Active
RESTORE is a juvenile reentry program providing comprehensive services and support for youth ages 16 to 19 who are currently committed to the state’s Department of Youth Services. The services and support include comprehensive family intake and assessment, case management, benefits assessment, pay for essential documents such as state ID, creation of a participant educational or career plan, transportation, incentives for progress and success, safe housing and stability support for families, advocacy, systems navigation and community-based services.
A grant awarded by the Department of Justice will expand this program.
Safe Havens
Partners: City of Birmingham, Birmingham Park and Recreation Board,
multiple individuals, city departments and organizations support programmatic efforts
City Investment: $500,000 million annually
Status: Active
The Birmingham Safe Haven initiative provides youth assistance with homework, recreational services, personal growth and selfcare, mental health and meals. Parks and Recreation coordinates through Birmingham schools, professional groups and individuals to mentor youth at youth at various city recreation centers (currently Central Park, Ensley, Fountain Heights, Hawkins, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Memorial). The Common Ground H.E.A.T. curriculum is scheduled to be part of the program in the fall 2024.
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The Surge Project (BOLD fund recipient)
Partners: City of Birmingham, The Surge Project,
National Training Institute for Healthcare Technicians
City Investment: $80,800
Status: Completed
The city’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity awarded funding through the BOLD program to The Surge Project to provide workforce development for adults ages 18-35 to aid in the reduction of gun violence through a nine-week soft skills training program. Through a partnership with the National Training Institute for Healthcare Technicians, 40 individuals will have an opportunity to become certified healthcare professionals.
Birmingham Re-entry Alliance
Partners: City of Birmingham, Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Offender Alumni Association, Salvation Army, Community on the Rise, Hope Inspired Ministries, Jimmie Hale Mission, Aletheia House, Alabama Regional Medical Services, Canterbury United Methodist Church, Housing Authority of the Birmingham District
Funding Partners: Community Foundation
of Greater Birmingham, Regions Foundation
Currently No City Investment
Status: Active
The one-year pilot program launched by the City of Birmingham and multiple partners will support re-entry of individuals after incarceration with the focus on supporting basic needs and services and reducing recidivism. The one-year pilot project is a coordinated, holistic approach to transform how the city serves people released from state prisons with a focus to ensure that justice-impacted families in Birmingham thrive. The goal is to serve 30 to 50 individuals in the first year of the program.
Strategy Enhances Broader Investments in Youth
The above partnerships are enhanced by the city’s support to expand early childhood education through Small Magic (formerly Birmingham Talks) and the launch of a financial literacy curriculum for Birmingham City Schools students with the BHM Financial Freedom program.
Combined, these programs are part of an overall engagement in multi-sector collaboration to focus on root causes of violence to enhance the continuance of care to better address prevention and re-entry.
