Introducing SC2: Community Partners Team Up to Reduce Violence Across Chicago

This year, the nation’s eyes were on Chicago. And for the first time in decades, the city saw real, measurable progress: the lowest number of homicides since 1965, and a 22% drop in overall violent crime compared to last year.

This shift did not happen by accident. It reflects years of work by Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations across Chicago—thousands of trained outreach workers and case managers interrupting cycles of violence, supporting at-risk individuals, and creating off-ramps from the streets before harm occurs.

Building on the success of these efforts, community leaders came together to launch the Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago Initiative (SC2)—a citywide network designed to strengthen, coordinate, and expand access to life-changing support. SC2 brings together more than a dozen trusted organizations with one shared goal: addressing the root causes of violence by meeting people where they are and supporting the choices they’re ready to make.

Every SC2 journey begins with street outreach. Participants first connect with case workers at neighborhood cookouts, block parties, and pop-up resource tables—spaces designed to feel welcoming, familiar, and safe. From there, SC2 opens the door to a wide range of services that allow each participant to chart their own path forward.

Through SC2, individuals can access job training, educational pathways, mental health counseling, legal services, and more—at no cost. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, SC2 is intentionally flexible, allowing services to be tailored to each person’s needs and goals, with partner organizations working collaboratively to provide comprehensive support.

“For the first time in decades, I’m not worried about the police kicking in the door or losing sleep over the choices I’m making,” says Ramsey, an SC2 participant. “I’m so far from that now—and that’s a relief I can’t even describe.”

Organizations across Humboldt Park and beyond play a role in this work, including Association House, ALSO, BUILD Inc., CCFJ, and New Life Centers. Together, these partners are reimagining how services are delivered and building systems that prioritize dignity, stability, and long-term opportunity.

“SC2 is about redesigning how communities show up for people who’ve been pushed to the margins,” says Lori Crowder, Executive Director of ALSO. “By working hand in hand, we’re proving that safety doesn’t begin with policing—it begins with opportunity, connection, and care.”

As SC2 continues to grow, its impact extends beyond crime statistics. The initiative is helping rebuild trust, restore hope, and create visible pathways toward stability in neighborhoods that have long been denied both.

SC2’s momentum is a reminder that when communities invest in people—and when people are given real choices—lasting change is possible. And for every participant ready to rewrite their story, SC2 is there to help make that next chapter achievable.