Community-level youth violence prevention: What does it take to move the needle?

Background: The goals of the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center (MI-YVPC) are to reduce violence and intentional injury among 10-24 year olds, enhance social relationships, and improve neighborhood properties in a specific geographic area of Flint, MI.  We are testing the effectiveness of a multi-level youth violence prevention strategy using a two pronged quasi-experimental design examining the radiating effects of the interventions on surrounding areas.

Methods: MI-YVPC is implementing six interventions within the focus area on individual, family and community levels. A demographically similar area in the same city serves as a comparison. The interventions include a youth empowerment program, mentoring and case management, a program for African American fathers and sons, screening and brief counseling in the emergency department, a greening program, and community mobilization.  The outcomes are crime incidents, assault injuries, property conditions, and resident perceptions.

Results: As of January 2014, 283 youth participated in MI-YVPC interventions, representing approximately 16% of the eligible population in the focus area.  528 vacant properties were maintained.  Results to date indicate that crime incidents in the intervention area have decreased and stabilized over time, while those in the comparison area have not.  Similarly, assault injuries in the intervention area have decreased in contrast to assault injuries in the comparison area. 

Conclusions: A comprehensive community approach to youth violence prevention that addresses individual and environmental factors and promotes positive youth development has the potential to reduce crime and violence.  Understanding which components of such an approach have the greatest effects merits further study.