Mission

Prevent hate-based violence by addressing the underlying causes of the social drivers of violence. The Program achieves this mission by (1) fostering partnerships with, and providing coordination for, violence prevention stakeholders in California, (2) developing trainings and programs that enhance community safety, and (3) providing funding to innovative non-profit organizations at the forefront of preventing hate-based violence and promoting inclusivity.

Creating Safer Communities (CSC) Program

The Creating Safer Communities program was established in 2017 as the Preventing Violent Extremism Program for the purpose of developing violence prevention solutions for California communities through non-profit granting, frameworks development, and stakeholder collaboration. It was originally founded in response to the growing need for efforts in the preventative space to internationally- and domestically-inspired terrorist movements. Throughout program development however, it evolved in response to demonstrated community needs and a changing threat landscape. Violence steeped in hate, often targeted at specific groups and independent from larger movements, became more commonplace following a spike in hate-crimes in 2016 and 2017.

The program name was officially changed to “Creating Safer Communities” in 2019 to more accurately reflect the diversity of services offered and developed under the program, as well as the expanded focus on mass violence and hate-based violence.

Funding and Privacy

Creating Safer Communities does not collect personal, identifiable, demographic, or otherwise sensitive data about the communities served through the program.We do not engage in any intelligence gathering for the federal government or law enforcement.Creating Safer Communities is not a surveillance program and we do not target specific groups, ideologies, or religions. Creating Safer Communities is funded through state hold over funds from the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). Cal OES is the state administering agency for HSGP, and retains funds for state and local programs and services that enhance the safety of California. Creating Safer Communities utilizes a whole-of-community approach to support locally-led violence prevention programs and encourage further engagement in violence prevention efforts statewide.

CSC at Cal OES

This program is supporting California communities in their efforts to build and enhance locally-led violence prevention and intervention programs.

To assess what practitioners are already doing to build resiliency against targeted, mass, and hate-motivated violence, Cal OES convened a working group consisting of state and local stakeholders, subject matter experts, and community leaders.

This assessment of trainings, grant programs, social services, education initiatives, and existing program models was a necessary step in coordinating a statewide program to connect communities with resources matching their unique challenges. As a result of this assessment, the Cal OES CSC Program is launching four initiatives to assist California communities: the California Community Portal, the Safer Communities Non-Profit Grant Program, the First Steps Training program, and Community Violence Prevention Roadmaps.

Safer Communities Non-profit Grant Program

Supports community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations’ efforts to prevent all forms of hate-based violence in California by developing innovative and sustainable trainings, public awareness campaigns, and programs that can be replicated throughout California. 

California Community Portal

The California Community Portal is an interactive website for stakeholders to share best practices, program models, strategies, and current challenges. The portal also hosts a virtual First Steps Training, the Community Roadmaps Questionnaire, and information related to the Safer Communities Non-profit Grant Program.

 

First Steps Training

Provides a brief introduction on how to establish a local framework and build prevention mechanisms within a given community, step-by-step instructions on who should be assembled to establish a working group, and defines key terms used in violence prevention.

Community Violence Prevention Roadmaps

As a direct follow-up to the First Steps Training, and to provide more direct assistance, the CSC program uses a stakeholder questionnaire to develop a customized inventory of available resources, potential partners for working group deliberations, locally accessible programs, and existing frameworks and plans that may be used as reference for local framework development.