ORLANDO, Fla. — Efforts to reduce violent crime in Orlando is an ongoing discussion — one that, in 2022, resulted in the start of an initiative known as Community Violence Intervention (CVI).

Monday, city leaders approved an expansion of that initiative, using funding provided by the U.S. Office of Justice, taking the number of neighborhoods involved in the program from five to eight.

What You Need To Know

  • Orlando leaders approved an expansion Monday of an initiative aimed at reducing gun violence

  • The initiative, Community Violence Intervention, originally kicked off in November 2022, with a focus on four communities: Carver Shores, Holden Heights, Mercy Drive and Parramore

  • Officials say that recent data show firearm homicides are down by 20% and non-fatal shootings are down by 36%

  • The city was awarded a $1.5 million grant that city leaders say would allow the expansion of the initiative into three new neighborhoods

CVI first launched in November 2022, and at the time, officials said the focus was to create relationships and opportunities in four areas: Carver Shores, Holden Heights, Mercy Drive and Parramore.

The idea was to place people in those communities who are not only from there, but who also have experienced gun violence. Through their experiences, they could identify other individuals in the community who have been affected by gun violence or who are at higher risk of being involved.

“You’re looking at about 0.2(%) or 0.3% of the population that accounts for the majority of homicides across the given locations,” said Abraham Morris, the division manager for Children, Youth, and Families with the city of Orlando. “If you can identify that small group of individuals, get them connected to different resources and find alternative ways for them to solve conflicts rather than picking up a gun, you can drastically reduce gun violence.”

Initially, the program was made possible with $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It expanded in March 2023 to include the Rosemont community.

Now, with the additional $1.5 million from the U.S. Office of Justice, the city will extend services to three more neighborhoods, including Lake Mann, Richmond Heights and Signal Hill.  

Morris said through community collaboration with the Orlando Police Department and partnerships with Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a street outreach team known as Neighborhood Change Associates and more participants of the program are provided resources like mentorships, jobs, access to mental health services and even housing. Participants also are checked on daily to make sure they’re getting what they need, Morris said.

“On one side, you have law enforcement who have their job to do, but on another side, we have community-based organizations that do their job, and you need both entities to work in the communities to reduce gun violence across the given location,” Morris said. “I think, from those two perspectives, we’ve seen great results across the city of Orlando.”

Morris doubled down on recent data posted on the city of Orlando’s website, gathered through a third-party analysis by the Center for Global Healthy Cities, which says in the first year of the CVI initiative, from November 2022 to October 2023, firearm homicides were down by 20% and non-fatal shootings were down by 36%.