New financial grants raised from green adult-use cannabis tax revenue will go to New Jersey Community-Based Violence Intervention (CBVI) Programs to address harms caused by the War on Drugs.
“We have gone to great lengths to break harmful cycles and ensure our residents feel secure in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. New Jersey’s groundbreaking violence reduction programs have already proven invaluable in our efforts to reduce violence and bolster our prevention framework,” said NJ Governor Phil Murphy (D)
According to a press release, $14.5 million will be made available through a competitive grant process. Funding for this grant cycle will begin in 2025.
“Our violence intervention programming is a key part of our approach to reducing violent crime, combating gun violence, and increasing public safety. I am … proud to continue these initiatives to make New Jersey safer,” said Attorney General Matt Platkin.
“The funding announced today means that we can deepen our investment in the essential work of the grassroots organizations that are breaking cycles of violence and stopping the harm and trauma that comes with it,” MP added.
Since 2021, the Murphy Administration has invested nearly $55 million in CBVI programming.
Funding is provided through the federal American Rescue Plan funds and through the State’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. The budget money comes primarily from the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization (CREAMM) Fund.
Rebuilding After the War on Drugs
It is dedicated to reinvestment in communities most impacted by cannabis criminalization and the War on Drugs.
The total commitment to community violence intervention, including CBVI, Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs, and Trauma Recovery Centers, now exceeds $115 million.
New Jersey’s CBVI programs use a public health approach to interrupt cycles of violence. They operate in communities associated with risk factors for exposure to violence. CBVI initiatives include a range of strategies:
- Street outreach led by credible messengers
- Mentorship
- High-risk intervention, including de-escalation services
- Safe passage for school-age youth in high crime areas
- Case management, counseling, and trauma support services for individuals who are at high risk for violence and/or victimization.
In the first quarter of 2024, CBVI grant winners engaged nearly 1,000 individuals in one-on-one programming. That included counseling, mentoring, and/or trauma recovery and support.
Trained professionals provide those services. They are intended to facilitate the healing journey of individuals who have experienced bullying, abuse, family violence, assault, vicarious trauma, or other forms of trauma and violence.
Healing from the War on Drugs in NJ
During that time, CBVI grantees spent over 1,200 hours organizing nearly 40 violence prevention events serving hundreds of individuals in their communities, from neighborhood cookouts to peace walks, to help bring individuals and communities together and raise awareness about violence and prevention strategies. CBVI providers have partnerships with over 40 schools around the State of New Jersey. They provide safe passage work and other interventions focused on at-risk youth.
In 2022, Attorney General Platkin created the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance (VIVA) to elevate and formalize violence intervention and victim services work within the Department.
The CBVI program is administered by the Department and programmatically overseen by VIVA’s Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention (OVIP).
“Our CBVI partners play a critical role in supporting our public safety infrastructure,” said Steven Campos, Director of OVIP. “We identify ways to capture the impact of their work, increase communities’ engagement in violence reduction strategies, and support those who have been impacted by violence.
Helping Impacted Communities
Continuing a change implemented during the 2024 grant cycle, the 2025 program prioritizes violence intervention programs known as “tertiary services,”
They are recognized as providing the most immediate benefit in reducing and responding to violence.
The maximum grant award for tertiary services remains $750,000. Organizations that provide primary or secondary services may apply for up to $500,000.
The Department is encouraging CBVI organizations to use grant funds to build their organizational capacity. For example, they could spend it on staff development, building partnerships, upgrading technology, managing organizational assessments, and conducting training.
CBVI is critical to the State’s work in developing a continuum of violence prevention services. Those include prioritizing strategies to support at-risk youth and young adults and street intervention services that are grounded in a public health approach to violence prevention.
The Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County was among the winners of the grant last year. They were recently part of a press conference celebrating that there were no homicides in Jersey City this past summer.
