Antioch City Council approves use of Cal Violence Intervention & Prevention grant funds
Hires Brentwood non-profit to operate it
By Allen D. Payton
During Tuesday’s meeting on May 23, 2023, the Antioch City Council on a 5-0 vote approved an agreement with Brentwood-based One Day at a Time (ODAT) for support and replication of evidence-based violence reduction initiatives and programs that interrupt cycles of violence for $346,500 funded by a California Violence Intervention & Prevention (CalVIP) grant during the 2023-24 Fiscal Year.
“This initiative started with an idea from Councilwoman Torres-Walker,” said Mayor Thorpe. “We applied for this grant, we got this grant, and we get to decide how the work gets done.”
“Well, you know I’m excited about this. I’m also excited to find a partner,” Torres-Walker said. “This has been a long time coming. I want to mention Andrew Becker. I want to thank Andrew because we have a lot to address in this city. Gun-related violence is unacceptable, period. I came to this city in 2015 and I’ve been advocating…since 2015. You only get one chance to do it right.”
According to the city staff report, in February 2022, the City of Antioch applied for a three-year CalVIP grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) to improve public health and safety by supporting effective violence reduction initiatives in Antioch, which is disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly group-member-involved homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults (Penal Code Sec. 14131(b)). The City of Antioch was awarded the CalVIP grant agreement from July 2022 through June 30, 2025, for a maximum amount of $1,794,116. Funds will be used to support, expand, and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives that seek to interrupt cycles of violence. (See related article)
According to the BSCC webpage, “The State Legislature established the CalVIP Grant Program in 2017 to replace the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention grant program that began in 2007. CalVIP provides funding for cities and community-based organizations with the goal of reducing violence in the city and adjacent areas.
In October 2019 Governor Newsom signed the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (AB 1603). AB 1603 codified the establishment of CalVIP and defined its purpose: to improve public health and safety by supporting effective violence reduction initiatives in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly group-member involved homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults.
The Break the Cycle of Violence act specifies that CalVIP grants shall be used to support, expand and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives. These initiatives should seek to interrupt cycles of
violence and retaliation in order to reduce the incidence of homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults and shall be primarily focused on providing violence intervention services to the small segment of the population that is identified as having the highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence in the near future.”
