+ Violence Prevention Partners

Alliance of Local Service Organizations (ALSO) works in partnership with people living in risk of violence to promote safer streets and homes. Incorporated in 1998, ALSO was created to coordinate services for youth and families in the Logan Square community on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Becoming aware of the devastating impact of community violence on those families ALSO began to take action by implementing prevention programs to end street violence. https://also-chicago.org/

Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership Development (BUILD) is one of Chicago's leading gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organizations. The mission is to engage at-risk youth in schools and on the streets to help them realize their potential and contribute to our communities. The focus is on hard-to-serve youth in some of Chicago’s most challenging neighborhoods. https://www.buildchicago.org/

+ Alternatives to 911 - Behavioral Health Services

My office has compiled an Alternatives to 911 - Behavioral Health Resource Guide highlighting community based, trauma-informed behavioral health services intended to support individuals and families experiencing a mental health challenge, substance use disorder, or a domestic violence concern. Before dialing 911, consider seeking assistance and support from these partners, many of which have presence in our community and are ready to serve and meet your needs alongside you. Unless otherwise specified, services are offered for free, regardless of insurance status.

+ Violence Reduction Dashboard

The City of Chicago's Violence Reduction Dashboard makes critical information easily accessible to community organizations and residents, helping them serve as partners to implement the City's Our City, Our Safety plan outlined here. With this tool, residents and City leaders alike are able to make informed decisions around violence reduction efforts across Chicago. You're able to search data by Ward, Community Area, Police District, etc.

+ Gun Safety Information

Are you in a crisis? Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741

There are numerous online resources with information about gun safety and gun injury protection.

Although CARF standards (and many others) add weight to the recommendation that CDPH clinicians should counsel service participants on access to lethal means, including guns, it has never been the primary reason for the request.

We need practice not just policy in a manual: "...if the laws rely on apparent or articulated risk, many experiencing suicidal crises will not benefit from any protection afforded by these laws."

Gun safety counseling shouldn't be limited to people at risk for suicide. Everyone should be counseled about gun safety.

According to the December 15, 2023, CDC MMWR report, there were 1,262 unintentional firearm injury deaths among children & adolescents aged 0-17 years, during the reporting period.

Victim race and ethnicity # (%) A/PI: 10 (0.8) AI/AN: 47 (3.7)

  • Black or African American: 503 (39.9)
  • White: 532 (42.2)
  • Hispanic or Latino: 135 (10.7)
  • Two or more, other, unspecified race: 35 (2.8) Total (row %): 1,262 (100.0)

Safe gun storage laws are garnering support. The Michigan school shooting verdict underscores why.

"Unsecured firearms (e.g., unlocked and loaded) are associated with risk for unintentional childhood firearm injury death."

"Is there a gun in the home?" Assessing the risks of gun ownership in older adults

To prevent gun-related death and injuries, the AAP recommends that pediatricians provide firearm safety counseling to patients and their families. Below is a list of several resources one can review for additional guidance.

+ Neighbors Experiencing Homelessness

Our office works closely with a number of homelessness service and outreach providers to ensure our neighbors living on the street have the information and resources they need to remain connected to services and housing alternatives around the city. All Chicago, The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), The Night Ministry, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Thresholds, among others, are essential partners in this work. If you observe someone experiencing homelessness and would like to help, the City of Chicago, in partnership with The Salvation Army, is able to provide emergency housing, transportation, and other services by calling 311 for a crisis referral or shelter request. This is the quickest and most accurate way to obtain shelter availability and other resources. Please be advised that all of these services are based on the individual's consent, so you can always start by introducing yourself and asking the individual what they need - whether that be food, a warm place to sleep, or other services. You can also contact our office to discuss what options might be available given the individual's needs. You can email Leah at leahkennedy@the1stward.com for help or more information.

The Night Ministry has also put together a Good Neighbor Guide to help you get involved as well. The guide discusses a range of topics, including the causes and realities of homelessness, debunks myths surrounding homelessness, and offers practical advice on actions you can take so your interactions with your unhoused neighbors are rooted in dignity, compassion, and understanding.

+ Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Community Justice Centers (CJCs) - The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Community Justice Centers (CJCs) were founded on the principle that prosecutors have a responsibility not only to prosecute cases but to solve public safety problems, prevent crime and improve the quality of life for communities.

The Assistant State’s Attorneys assigned to Cook County CJC’s prosecute crimes of particular significance to the community, including targeted offenses and repeat offenders. They work to prevent crime through the presentation of seminars, workshops and speaking engagements and to inform and educate citizens on crime-related issues. They also work to problem-solve individual, neighborhood or community issues that may or may not be criminal in nature but impact the quality of life.

For CJC locations and contact information click here.

Cook County State's Attorney's Office (CCSAO) Data - The CCSAO has a public data portal, available here. Below you will find the monthly data reports that the CCSAO has prepared for the 1st Ward, specifically to outline charging decisions, guilty convictions, and diversion referrals for adult felony cases in our ward and Chicago. Please contact SAOData@cookcountyil.gov with any questions.

Important note, the CCSAO only becomes involved with a case when law enforcement formally presents an arrestee to their office to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. The CCSAO cannot make a charge unless an arrest occurs.

+ Smart 911

The Office of Emergency Management & Communications encourages residents to sign up for a Smart911 safety profile in order to provide 9-1-1 with critical information that can better assist first responders in an emergency. A Smart911 profile can automatically provide the 911 dispatcher with any personal details a resident would like to share: any existing disabilities, mental health conditions, pets in the home, building specifications, and more that can assist emergency personnel when responding to an incident. When residents sign up or have an existing profile, they can opt in to sharing home security camera footage with police if a crime has occurred nearby or outside the residence. To create a Smart911 profile, download the Smart911 mobile app or visit Smart911.com.

+ Block Clubs

Block clubs and neighborhood groups are essential in building and maintaining the safety of our communities. Knowing and building relationships with our neighbors allows us to extend a lending hand, organize social events, and bring resources to areas that need it the most. For helpful tips on how to start a Block Club, visit the CAPS Block Club page here or feel free to reach out to our office for support/guidance.

+ Immigration Support & Services

The City of Chicago, designated a sanctuary city through the Welcoming City Ordinance, prevents the city from asking about immigration status when seeking city services and prevents the Chicago Police Department from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agencies, such as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). No one should be afraid to call the police in an emergency and this ensures our neighbors are free to do so without fear of being targeted due to their immigration status.

There are a number of state, city, and local social service agencies available for immigration support services:

For additional preparedness and information, visit the National Immigrant Justice Center's Know Your Rights page - https://immigrantjustice.org/know-your-rights - or ICIRR's resources page - https://www.icirr.org/immigrant-community-resources. If someone you know is detained, notify OCAD and ICIRR right away for guidance and legal support.

+ Noise Violations

Chicago's noise ordinance designates quiet hours between 10:00pm - 8:00am on weekdays and 11:00pm - 8:00am on weekends, meaning the sounds cannot exceed the average conversational level at a distance of 100 feet or more from the property line of the property from which the noise is being generated. Activities involving loading, unloading, opening, closing or other handling of boxes, crates, containers, building materials, garbage cans, dumpsters or similar objects must not be done in a manner to cause a noise disturbance between 10:00pm - 7:00am. Likewise, mechanical equipment or tools operated by fuel or electric power in building, construction, repair or demolition operations cannot be used between the hours of 8:00pm and 8:00am within 600 feet of any residential building or hospital. Note that City of Chicago work (e.g. water & sewer mains, road construction etc.) and emergency private utility work are exempt from the City’s noise ordinance.

For the time being, the noise ordinance can only be enforced by the Chicago Police Department, so 911 can be called to report violations. To report construction site violations, please contact our office right away at info@the1stward.com or (872) 206-2685.