Assessing Risk: Frontline Perspectives of Navigating the Dynamics of Gun Violence

• In Event: The State of Street Outreach (in Chicago)

Abstract

“Are we reaching the right people?” is one of the most frequent questions among street outreach workers and organizations as they seek to reach, engage with, and intervene among those at the highest risk of experiencing gun violence in their communities. To help answer this question, the Northwestern Neighborhood and Network Initiative (N3) engaged street outreach and victim services staff at organizations across Chicago in a series of focus groups to better understand how they define, assess, and respond to the risk of gun violence involvement. The findings that emerged from those conversations highlight the vital need to center the lived and professional experiences of frontline workers in the narrative about risk assessment. This session engages senior street outreach professionals in a discussion about the dynamics of gun violence risk and the role of risk assessment in community-based gun violence prevention.

Author

• Angelica D'Souza, Northwestern University