5. Community Outreach: Doing the Work

Acclivus staff who are engaged in community-based services – case managers, street outreach workers, supervisors – were asked what they viewed as the aims/purpose/goal of Acclivus community work and how the organization went about achieving those aims. Violence prevention and community resources were central themes throughout the descriptions. The responses of this group to these two questions and others in this section include the program managers’ and community services field director’s answers also, since their primary roles have a community engagement and/or service focus.

• We cure violence and change the minds of the participants and let them know they can choose a better pathway. Our goal is to help them on the pathway with jobs and educational opportunities.
• Aim is to provide resources to those who do not have and curb violence and bring the homicide rate down. This will allow community members to move around and not feel the threat of violence.
• The aim is to curb the violence and keep the trust and image and perception of the organization up.
• Help community, we are like public health professionals helping the community, trying to prevent violence from occurring in the first place; if not, help limit it by using conflict resolutions strategies and mediating conflicts. Also the main thing is to help the community, give them information about what Acclivus is about and what we provide to the community.
• Our mission is to support our community’s well-being throughout Chicago. We help prevent violence; improve health outcomes; prevent domestic violence; address homelessness, and (improve) mental health. We feed the homeless. In our communities we do it all.
• The main purpose is to stop the violence within the community.
• I believe our goal is to use a public health approach in addressing violence as a disease. It is for us to go out in the community and change the mindsets of those who are victims or perpetrators of violence or violent incidents. Also, for us to support the community and lower the risk of violence or violent incidents.

Community staff described the approach that the organization uses to achieve results and their roles and responsibilities in terms of what they do as individuals and team members, as well as what they hope to achieve. They also described both community-wide help initiatives and work with or on behalf of persons at high risk of committing or becoming victims of violence. Most staff, regardless of their formal position, described their roles and responsibilities by focusing on social services they or others in the organization provided. Helping persons get basic resources – a job, food, clothing, medical care – and/or deal with legal problems was prominent in the responses. Although the term “referrals” was used frequently, a hands-on approach which included seeing or assuring that the person either got to the service provider and/or received the service was noticeable.

• First, we try to provide information to youth at high risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of violence; figure out a strategy for actions, interact with the community, give out information, take information back to our team and fellows to strategize better ways to assist, design strategies and plan actions to deal with violence issues that we are alerted about.
• We stand together on the street. We band together on the street. We let them know about us as an anchor; we try our best to help them. Sometimes, when we cannot do something we can refer participants. We can find them mental health help and jobs. If you need an ID, we take you to the places to get important documents.
• Safety first. Because most shootings are gang related, what is more important is to make sure if the person is safe, and that there is no retaliation. We help each other. We work together. We have seven sites. When one of us has a situation, or if they have a number of job offers, we get together to share responsibilities. Our leader motivates us. He stands with us. We come together every time. Every week, we have staff meeting, every CM every Thursday, we support each other. The meetings are very crucial. The meeting tells us what we did wrong and we share information.
• In our office, we have a chart listing what we need to know and our weekly priorities. Sometimes, it depends on what happens. We deal with communities, with people, not just with numbers. We show communities we mean what we do. Connecting with the communities is a priority.
• My role is to have 15 participants and help them find jobs, help them get their state ID, or driver’s license, and help them get back in school. (My role is) to help them get out of gangs.
• I provide job opportunities and resources for people who have a hard time finding help, and connect people with mental health, housing resources, and recreational activities. I actually go out to find resources. I go to agencies and ask them if they have job opportunities for our participants and tell them what we do. I share the list of job resources I collect with my team at our weekly meeting. Most of the agencies welcome us and are willing to help the participants. It is good that we have participants come to Acclivus. We have to do follow-up with the participants, and the management of the agencies. That is the job I have, to find the resources and follow-up with the participants.
• I go out and locate resources and find jobs for people 18 to 24, for kids and for youth. I am trying to find mental health resources and service providers for participants.
  I help find recreation centers, education help, etc. I go out to find institutions to help and do it all. I try my best and have made many connections who are willing to help us help our participants.
• We fight both violence and COVID, sharing sanitizers and masks. Someone has to do it, that is why Acclivus is the right resource for our communities. I love my work because we are helping people. If we cannot help the city, at least we can help our community.
• We try to put our kids on the right track. We try to stop and show them better alternatives.
• We have a Community Response Team with influential supervisors from areas that can make change happen and we have a Hospital Response Team that gathers information on victims and addresses the trauma to these victims. We have to rely on our partnerships with different groups or organizations for viable solutions in addressing violence.

Staff were unanimous in their assessment of the importance and effectiveness of the street outreach and case management methods that Acclivus uses and the work that staff perform. Their observations of happenings and events in their neighborhoods served as the primary basis for their assessments.

• Yes, we are effective and that is based on the work we do. The shooting is down and we are keeping the peace. We think our team is very strong.
• We are very successful but not enough; we need to go a year without a shooting. Personal triumphs knowing people that could have been deceased but that are still here is evidence of success. We have guys on our team that used to be on the street and are now serving the community. This is other evidence of Acclivus success.
• The lives that have been saved, people that have been fed, the people that have received resources are indicators of success. We babysit problems until they have fully improved.
• (Homicide and shooting) numbers are down mediations are up, in this community. There was no violence this weekend on street (known for violent episodes).
• Acclivus is very successful, the way they got me someone from the streets to sit down and talk to the people I am working with now. I would have never gotten to sit down with these people when I was on the street if I had not gotten this job. We can cooperate. If we can do it the youth can do it.
• I think we are about 95% successful based on our data from the area. We have weekly meetings to go over the stats and we have low incident reports of violence percentages and this is due to patrol being visible in
  the area.
• We are talking to community so people can feel safe. We are getting people jobs, so they are not hanging out anymore.
• Some of the participants are 16 and 17 and the parents are happy when we get them jobs. They thank us because we are patient with their kids. We give out food to the community and that is one thing the community likes also.
• Because we are constantly sharing information with the community, coming to the community, giving care packages and clothes, demonstrating we care and providing resources.
• On a scale of 1-10, I can give 10 to my team. Because on my team, we come together and stick together. When someone cannot be somewhere, we help one another. You scratch my back, I scratch your back. I like my supervisor. We knew each other before in the neighborhood.

Some staff spoke of both personal and organizational accomplishments in the area of violence prevention and interruption work when they answered questions about evidence of the organization’s success and effectiveness.

• I saved some lives; kept peace in some of the areas. I was able to outreach and alleviate some conflict.
• I saved a lot of lives. There have been a lot of street wars and I personally have stopped violence. We have gone 4 weeks without a shooting in our beat. It could be worse than it could have been.
• When we come through we canvas every day. We talk to the community; we bring resources. Neighborhoods and residents feel safer when we are around and since we have come there. They feel our presence. The residents know me and know my past so they know change can happen.
• Turned former participants who were shooters to outreach workers to peace soldiers.
• I believe that I’ve led by example for others. I have went above and beyond helping people and others, and my staff, when they see me doing this, it inspires them to do the same when they see the change. I think it’s significant because the community sees our work and it gives them hope seeing Acclivus and the faces of people they know really helping the community.

When participants were asked about areas to enhance Acclivus effectiveness or changes they would make if in charge, some indicated there was no need to change anything. Others felt that change for the good was ongoing anyway. When changes were mentioned, they focused on expanding services or obtaining additional resources to meet needs being exhibited by participants.

• No changes are needed. We are in a good place; we have given a lot of resources to the community.
• Nothing needs to change. We are doing the work; we should just expand.
• We are constantly changing; we go off each other ideas. We are all able to voice our opinion, especially if its effective. It’s not a my way or the highway type of job.
• We should start younger so we can develop young minds. We need to do it before the streets get to them. It is important to stay in contact with parents and give those kids something to do.
• We need expansion to do more programs and have more places for (youth) to come to.
• I would not change it; we are doing everything right. Whatever we can’t do let’s change it so we can do it. Let’s not let the youth give excuses of what they can’t do. Let’s provide money for them to get to jobs and interviews.
• I would like for Acclivus to grow and expand and be in several more neighborhoods.
• Acclivus is great. I would not change anything except have more jobs for the participants and the clients.
• I would expand services, creating things like barber shops and places to meet more young people. I would want to provide more resources and create mental health clinics.
• The leadership is doing exactly what we need for our communities. We can save our community. I want to save my community… I will talk to anyone who can be a great support for my community.
• I think if Acclivus was given more access to resources and/or funds it could be better. For example, job programs that offer stipends or incentives for participants; an arcade or game lounge for youth. Some things we pay out of pocket for young children in the community.