3. The Staff: Who are They?

Acclivus is led by a six-person senior management team comprised of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), two field directors, a community engagement director and a strategic planning director. Frontline program staff include supervisors, case managers, hospital responders, street outreach workers and community navigators and are organized by the organization’s two major program areas, i.e. hospital response and community outreach. Staff holding other positions provide technical and financial support.

The Acclivus staff is diverse with respect to gender, though the majority are male. The organization is led by an African American male who holds the title of CEO. The administrative team, supervisors and program staff are African American or Latinx with the exception of two white females, one of whom holds a leadership position as the COO. There are no white males or members of other racial or ethnic groups employed by the organization. Conversations with the organization’s CEO indicated that most staff, including senior managers have had some involvement, including incarceration, in the criminal justice system. Most have also grown up or lived in the neighborhoods where Acclivus operates or in other neighborhoods marked by community violence, poverty, chronic health problems, aggressive policing and inadequate community services.

The senior management team members have high levels of formal education. One member of the senior management staff has a PhD; two have Master’s degrees and a fourth is enrolled in a Master’s degree program. One leader’s highest degree is a Bachelor’s and the other has completed three years of college. All staff receive initial and ongoing in-service training and are encouraged and supported in pursuing higher education opportunities. Of note, six of the eight participants in the first cohort of Urban Scholars, a Jane Addams College of Social Work program designed to support formerly incarcerated persons in obtaining higher education degrees and developing community leadership skills, are Acclivus employees. In addition to formal education, the senior management team has had extensive experience in developing and implementing violence prevention programs and services. The CEO held positions as a violence interrupter, case manager, hospital responder and program manager prior to assuming the role of Acclivus CEO. Other members of the team have similar job profiles.

The background data on the 31 staff participating in interviews indicated that 28 are African American. One person identified as being Latinx; one noted race as Black Puerto Rican and one other as being both African American and Latinx. The workforce consisted primarily of mature adults with a median age of 47 and modal age of 46; the youngest person was 36, the oldest 66. Twenty-three of the staff participants were male; eight were female.

The educational backgrounds of Acclivus employees participating in the interviews was diverse with the highest degree obtained ranging from GED to doctorate. The highest degree for 40% was a GED or high school. Forty-six percent had an associate degree or some college and 13% had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Five persons indicated they had obtained their highest degree while working at Cure Violence. No one had obtained their highest degree while working at Acclivus, though 14 of the 31 (45%) respondents indicated they were currently enrolled in a college degree program. The areas of degrees and study, similar to the educational status, varied and included social work, business administration, education and inner city studies.

Eight of the thirteen persons with prior employment at Cure Violence indicated that their last position at Cure Violence was in a front-line position as a case manager, outreach worker or hospital responder. Five persons were supervisors or program directors. Several staff indicated that immediately prior to joining the Acclivus workforce they had been employed by organizations engaged in working with youth (including teaching and coaching), violence prevention or community service. A few were employed in commercial activities such as construction work, real estate, and small businesses. One person stated that he had not held a full-time job prior to joining the Acclivus staff.

Twenty-one, a little over two-thirds of the staff, indicated that they had been incarcerated. Prison/jail terms ranged from one to 15 years. The most recent release date was 2019 with the majority listing prison release dates more than 15 years ago. Having been incarcerated, involved in gangs, on the wrong path, or a troublesome youth were often voiced by participants as backgrounds that made them uniquely qualified for Acclivus positions. Examples of participants’ statements reflecting this finding are presented here. This method of presenting participants’ statements following key findings or questions will be used throughout the study.

• I know the streets and I know what’s been going on. I have connections and contacts and I influence them.
• I used to be the same person that I am trying to reach.
  I was known throughout….Chicago.
• I was incarcerated for 11 years and when I got out I wanted to give back.
• I am a victim of gun violence myself.

When asked what made them stand out from other candidates or why they thought they were hired by Acclivus, living or having lived in a certain type neighborhood was also mentioned.

• Lots of people living in my area look up to me more than anybody else.
• I can reach out to people with high risk. I have seen them grow up. I have been living in this community for years.
• I have ties to the street organizations and to the people in the community that Acclivus wants to reach. It’s where
  I grew up.

A third characteristic included caring about the people that Acclivus comes in contact with and about the neighborhoods and people who live in Acclivus neighborhoods.

• I have a deep relationship with the community. I have been a baseball coach and a football coach.
• I have learned from past experiences and I want to help.
• I have compassion for kids and want to show young women the right way.
• People in my community know that I care about people.
• I have a lot of love for the people in my community.

To determine more about who staff are and what is important to them, participants were asked to describe a typical day, not including a workday, and to talk about other aspects of their lives. Despite instructions to interviewers to probe for understanding about how full days were spent, most answers to this question were very short statements of only a few words. Some individuals described their typical day in terms of work.

• I am always on the clock.
• I am on call, 24/7.
• When I am not working I am working because kids call me throughout the day.
• I talk to my clients every day before work.
• When I am off the clock, I am still working.

There were only a few clues about how staff relaxed, found time to unwind, or balanced work and home life. Though important for everyone, it is especially so for staff who are in demanding jobs dealing with traumatic experiences like those Acclivus staff encounter.

• I go to the gym.
• I have been doing a lot of things around the house and getting things done since we cannot go anywhere (referring to the pandemic lockdown).
• I try to live my best life. I play poker, meet with friends.
• I like to relax and enjoy talking with my granddaughter.
• In my time off I work on buildings, do landscaping, mold remediation.
• This is no time for enjoying (at my age).

Though descriptions of family life and family time were brief, the importance and central role of family to many participants was evident in answers to the typical day question.

• I came home (had been living in another state) to take care of my family.
• I spend time with my kids and try to keep them from violence.
• I co-parent with my wife and raise the children while she is working.
• A typical day includes taking my son to activities and classes that he is involved in.
• I like to go to my daughter’s place and hang out with her.

Family was also evident in answers to a question about the most challenging thing that had happened to persons during the past year. Many staff had witnessed the deaths and illness of family members and close friends. For some, the coronavirus pandemic was especially difficult.

During the past year…

• I lost my mother.
• I lost two relatives.
• My mother was very ill with cancer.
• I lost members in my family and two very close friends.
• Being afraid and dealing with the COVID pandemic was very difficult.
• My client was killed.
• I suffered from a lot of deaths from COVID.

Answers to a question about what staff were most proud of in their lives provide additional information about who staff are and what is important to them. Staff were most proud of dreams they had realized, life changes they had made, things others had questioned their ability to do and things their children had accomplished.

• I bought my first house.
• I bought a new car and a house.
• I paid off in full one of my cars.
• I finished my degree. My mother never thought I could go this far.
• My son graduated and is going to college.
• I made straight A’s last semester.
• I am still alive and healthy despite my life and decisions.
• I am not in the streets and am living the correct way.
• I am most proud of my family, my community, my people and my work.
• I am proud of the man I have become.
• I am proud that I did change someone for better.
• I started my own business.