Restoring Hope: A Whole Community Action Plan

When a natural or technological disaster occurs, faith based and other voluntary groups follow established protocols and collaborate with local public safety officials to build community resilience. But when public violence occurs, there are no protocols to guide the community and no organized response. What we most often see today is misinformation, fragmentation of services, and recurring cycles of violence that are left unaddressed.

The Center for Public Violence Recovery proposes a new Whole Community solution to public violence. The new Public Violence Resilience Framework will help residents proactively transform public violence-induced fear into hope for their lives.

Local Public Violence Resilience Coalitions of faith-based and human services nonprofits, public health agencies, emergency management and local government agencies will implement the Framework with a goal of restoring healthy and resilient communities. When a community is prepared to care for itself following public violence and supported in its efforts, the psychosocial health of each individual can be positively impacted as well as overall community wellbeing.

Change is never easy. Faith leaders, communicators, human services nonprofits, trauma and public health professionals, public safety, emergency managers and educators will be needed to collaborate in pilot communities where components of the Framework are evaluated and revised. As pilot components are proven to be successful, new protocols and response roles will be established.

For more information about the Framework, contact the Center for Public Violence Recovery at (800) 832-1365 or send an email to: [email protected].