MPI Advances Efforts in Community Violence Intervention A Safer Chicago

The Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) graduated 67 Street Outreach Workers, 25 Victim Advocates, and 31 Case Managers. Additionally, nine individuals graduated from the inaugural class of the MPA’s Management and Supervision Fellowship. To date, more than 800 graduates have passed through the MPA since its inception in January 2018.
Chicago closed out 2025 with the lowest number of homicides since 1965, and for the first time in decades, experienced four years in a row of declining gun violence. According to crime data from CPD, there were 416 murders across the city in 2025, which is a nearly 30% drop from 587 murders in 2024. There has been a steady decline in crime since it peaked during the pandemic in 2021. This is thanks, in part, to the combined efforts of city leaders, law enforcement officials, and Community Violence Intervention (CVI) professionals.
While slightly above the historically low 2025 trends, Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) communities sustained low levels of gun violence through June 30, 2026. The years of 2025 and 2026 were the only two to see fewer than 1,000 recorded shooting incidents by mid-year since CP4P was launched. CP4P partners have increased their summer canvassing efforts in order to get ahead of conflicts that tend to increase in the warmer months.

MPI launched its Youth Interventions initiative, beginning with the first program: Back to Our Future 2.0. In collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety, MPI supports youth of highest promise, ages 14 to 21, who have a history of chronic absenteeism, are involved in the juvenile justice system, and/or have experienced the effects of violence in their communities.
Chicago-area CVI groups organized a CVI Rally and Legislative Action Day in Springfield, IL. The rally was primarily an opportunity to educate lawmakers and garner further support for the Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA), a critical piece of legislation that awards grants to community-based organizations across Illinois through the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. State Senators Robert Peters and Justin Slaughter were among the elected officials who supported the day of action. The Legislative Action Day mobilized more than 100 community members invested in sustaining CVI. Community members engaged fourteen members of the Illinois General Assembly. Interactions during the Legislative Action Day and over the legislative session successfully secured full funding for RPSA in the FY27 Illinois State Budget. The funding is critical to sustaining the operations of organizations within MFS’ CP4P coalition.

MPI, Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), and other Chicago-area CVI groups expanded the “Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago” (SC2) initiative, a coordinated plan between CVI groups, philanthropic, business, and government leaders to reduce gun violence across the city. Approximately 75% of the individuals most at risk of shooting or being shot in North Lawndale, Austin, Humboldt Park, and Little Village will be served. Garfield Park, New City, and Englewood were added to the initiative.
The Chicago Reporter highlighted Illinois’ Peacekeepers Program, which aims to reduce group-related conflicts among those at highest risk of gun violence involvement. According to a 2025 report from Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS), hotspots monitored by Peacekeepers saw a 31% decrease in shootings over a two-year period, with nearby areas seeing a reduction of 41%.

The Lake County Peacemakers trained at the MPA to learn from and collaborate with Chicago’s CVI network. Nine CVI professionals graduated from the program, completing the MPA’s signature Street Outreach, Victim Services, and Case Management trainings. Additionally, five others completed the MPA’s Management and Supervision Fellowship.
MPI, CP4P and the Illinois Peace Project observed Gun Violence Awareness Month in June with several events taking place across Chicago. Highlights included a 10-year CVI expo celebration, the 2026 Peace Portraits, the 13th annual Strides For Peace Race Against Gun Violence, and the MPA’s Spring 2026 Graduation.

PI STATS

119

participants served

deployments

received expungements

6,551

14,054

at Light in the Night events

132

67 Street Outreach Workers

31 Case Managers

25 Victim Advocates

9 Management and
Supervision Fellowships

73,016

101,240