Grant-supported strategy leads to reduction in group violence

$300,000 Transformation Grant is making a big impact just one year later

In January of this year, the Quad Cities Community Foundation announced a $300,000 Transformation Grant to support the expansion of Davenport’s Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy. Now, less than two years after GVI’s launch and less than a year since the Transformation Grant award, the strategy is creating tangible change in Davenport.

“We were confident this strategy and these partners were going to be successful,” said Sue Hafkemeyer, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “It’s amazing to see how quickly that success has materialized. And that’s thanks to the hard work of the organizations and community members involved. Their drive to learn and collaborate is an example to any organization hoping to make big change.”

Partnership is at the center of GVI. In Davenport, its success has come from the willingness of community members, social services provider Family Resources, and city police to act in a coordinated way. The result is a relationship and communication-based strategy aimed at interrupting the cycle of group violence. In this context, “group violence” describes crimes committed through any type of social network.

With the GVI strategy, police information allows social service providers and community volunteers to contact possible offenders, offering them guidance and resources. The two agencies work hand-in-hand to build meaningful relationships with the community.

“The city has never seen an approach like this,” said Tee LeShoure, director of Community Violence Intervention and Engagement at Family Resources. “We are showing up, we’re connecting with possible offenders, we’re extending help, and we’re building real, positive bridges with law enforcement. It’s a proactive solution, and it’s working.”

The statistics say the same. “2019-2022 was a violent period in Davenport,” said Jeffery Bladel, Davenport chief of police. “But thanks in large part to GVI, we are turning that around. We have better information and better resources, and it’s led to a 27 percent decrease in shots fired and a 76 percent decrease in group-related non-fatal incidents.”

The Community Foundation’s Transformation Grant has provided an opportunity to deepen and expand this successful work. “The grant has really increased our capacity,” said Nicole Cisne Durbin, president and CEO of Family Resources. “It has allowed us to compensate our volunteers for their time, and it has allowed us to dedicate staff specifically to this strategy.”

The grant will also help fund a research study on group violence through St. Ambrose University.

“There is still work to do,” said Sarah Ott, chief strategy officer at the City of Davenport. “We are constantly learning and improving. There are other partnerships we want to explore, including working with hospitals and schools. Roughly 20 percent of victims are under 18—we need to make sure we are reaching these young people.” Schools and hospitals are important contact points, and GVI leaders are placing a special emphasis on these institutional partnerships.

“Real transformation takes time,” said Kelly Thompson, vice president of grantmaking and community initiatives at the Community Foundation. “The Community Foundation is committed to GVI and our partners, who are doing so much to make Davenport a safer, stronger community. This is how the Transformation Grant is supposed to work.”

GVI has already created lasting change. “I don’t like to call this a program,” said Chief Bladel. “A program begins and ends. GVI is a new mindset, a new philosophy—it goes well beyond me, and it’s how we want to serve our community going forward.” 

Transformation Grant funding will continue to seed the GVI strategy for the next two years. All partners are optimistic that the changes seen already will continue. “This isn’t a metric you can easily track, but I see hope,” said Durbin. “I see hope from law enforcement that their job is going to get safer, and I see hope in the people and families that we’re working with. They believe the city is there for them.”

The Community Foundation will announce the recipient of the next Transformation Grant later this winter.