Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (PSPC) is a coalition of funders who have been successful in building an evidence base for gun violence reduction strategies, namely Community Violence Intervention (CVI). Over the past four years, the field of CVI has expanded due to government investment and has recently become a focus of the Public Safety Task Force of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Violence in Chicago is a complex issue that is a symptom of underlying challenges of systemic racism, poverty, and social disinvestment. Shootings and homicides recorded in Chicago fell by 13% in 2023 as violence rates returned to pre-pandemic levels, but the number of people killed last year was still among the city’s highest over the past two decades. Communities also continue to suffer harm that extends beyond violence and disparately affects Chicago’s West and South Side neighborhoods.

Challenge: The public sector alone cannot address the interconnected root causes of violence. The business community has a significant stake in making the region a safe place to live, work and do business, but has largely been missing from the conversation. In fall 2022, the Civic Committee convened the Public Safety Task Force to identify strategies for the business community to contribute to improving public safety in Chicago.

Action: Alongside pro bono partner BCG, Civic Consulting Alliance supported the design, launch, and initial work for the Task Force. This included engaging in a seven-month fact-finding process that included interviews with numerous elected officials, community organizations, academic experts, philanthropy, and law enforcement. With pro bono support from Lantern Partners, we also facilitated the recruitment of the Civic Committee’s first Vice President for Public Safety, a new position that provides strategic leadership and daily management for the organization’s public safety agenda and initiatives.

Result: In June, the Civic Committee publicly announced five commitments that it believes will organize the business community to make the most significant contribution to address both short-term acute issues and long-term root causes of gun violence. Bob Boik, formerly of the Chicago Police Department, was hired as the Vice President for Public Safety to carry out the implementation of the Task Force’s initiatives. Since this announcement, the Civic Committee’s public safety strategy has been received positively. For example, the Chicago Tribune editorial, “Curbing violent crime is an all-hands-on-deck task. That must include corporate Chicago” is complimentary of the work that Civic Consulting Alliance completed, stating, “There’s good reason to feel optimistic about the Civic Committee’s new mission. To begin with, the group’s game plan makes sense.”

Partners: BCG, Lantern Partners

The Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC), is a first-of-its-kind, multi-agency coordination center to advance a whole of government, community-driven approach to violence prevention and reduction for the City of Chicago. The CSCC brings together City departments and agencies—ranging from the Chicago Police Department to those not traditionally considered part of the safety ecosystem, such as Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Park District, and Chicago Public Schools—alongside community organizations and leaders to advance community safety initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of violence. The CSCC takes a place-based approach, focusing on 15 communities prioritized in the City’s comprehensive violence reduction plan, “Our City, Our Safety,” starting with West Garfield Park, North Lawndale, Little Village, and Englewood.