Communities Partnering 4 Peace: Five Year Research and Evaluation Report, 2018-2023

By Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science

Gun violence—a key driver of premature death and racial disparities in life expectancy in the US—remains especially damaging to Chicagoans, who face consistently higher per capita rates of gun violence than residents of other large US cities. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In response to this persistent challenge, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), a division of Metropolitan Family Services, convened eight community-based organizations in Chicago in 2017 to form a CVI coalition called Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P). The coalition’s goal is to reduce gun violence stemming from interpersonal and group conflicts among the individuals most likely to be involved. To achieve this, CP4P organizations provide participants with conflict mediation and deescalation, mentorship, case management, and referrals to direct services, including legal advocacy, employment support, educational opportunities, and trauma-informed behavioral health counseling. The Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS) served as CP4P’s research partner to evaluate the coalition’s violence reduction efforts. CORNERS used an engaged research process to co-design a multi-method evaluation in partnership with MPI and CP4P leadership. This report builds on previous interim reports on the coalition’s individual and communitylevel impact. CORNERS’ research and evaluation strategy is focused on assessing the following three key aspects related to CP4P’s reach and impact: The ability of CP4P to reach and provide services to individuals most acutely impacted by and involved in gun violence. 1. The impact of CP4P services on individual-level participant outcomes, including involvement in gun violence and service use. 2. CP4P’s potential impact on gun violence at the community-level. 3. To answer these questions, CORNERS built a multi-method research design that captures the experiences and perspectives of CP4P participants through focus groups, periodic surveys, and in-depth interviews. CORNERS also conducted quasi-experimental statistical analyses that demonstrate CP4P’s impact on gunshot victimization among its participants and within its coverage area.

Ebanston, IL: Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS), 2023. 32p.