In 2021, the Charlottesville City Council unanimously voted to provide funding for an organization known as the Central Virginia Violence Interrupters, which formed after the fatal shooting of a young man in the community. Gun violence as a trend had continued to grow in Charlottesville, particularly in the Prospect Avenue area. Thus, the need for CVVI became apparent. Uniquely, this organization employs individuals with a criminal background to create de-escalation techniques to avoid violence, utilizing the skills that they have with the justice system to protect the community.
In the first half of 2025, CVVI estimates that their work has prevented 60 crimes, and they continue to serve the community successfully — receiving approximately $200,000 annually from the City to facilitate their community-based approach. Despite this organization’s best intentions, however, Charlottesville plans to drastically reduce its funding for CVVI at the local level, which threatens the organization’s survival and sustainability.
CVVI formed in response to a significant wave of gun violence in the Charlottesville community in 2021. While it is difficult to quantify crimes that have not occurred, CVVI is said to have prevented 350 instances of violence over the last four years, making it an incredible organization for community safety. After CVVI became recognized by Charlottesville community members, their work was rewarded by the City Council with a unanimous vote to help fund the organization. Over $20,000 was donated by the city council in addition to $16,000 from other sources. The City continued to support CVVI up until this last year, when its funding was threatened in part as a result of the substantially high number of organizations competing for limited funding.
One of the most unique and important aspects of this organization is that it trains and employs people part-time who have some experience with violence — including for those who are formerly incarcerated — at $19 an hour. This enables these individuals to connect and work with people trained in violence prevention. The organization bases its training on the Cure Violence Approach, using strategies like interrupting violence, communicating with dangerous subjects and ultimately changing the dynamic of the community that contributes to violence. This training teaches mediators how to develop trust with those involved with armed conflict and deescalate violent altercations effectively.
Oftentimes, those with criminal pasts are systemically discriminated against in the workforce, making it difficult for them to find more stable employment. CVVI reduces this discrimination and encourages people previously incarcerated to join the organization due to the value that their background brings to the program. This ultimately plays a role in preventing recidivism by providing stable employment and bringing previously incarcerated individuals back into the community and the economy.
Seeing that CVVI provides great benefits for the Charlottesville community, it is in the best interest of the City to protect its existence. The organization has lost over $250,000 in federal funding cuts in addition to the City reducing funding from $200,000 to only $94,000. Although CVVI remains active, the impact of these cuts is so significant that the organization may not survive past the fall of 2025. The program requires $450,000 annually to operate in the Prospect Avenue area of Charlottesville alone. Although the organization still receives large private donations, this is likely not enough to sustain the current services and may lead to them scaling down.
The City claims that it is necessary to reduce funding for CVVI, due to the significant number of other organizations that are in need of city funding. However, safety should be at the top of the City’s priorities, as it plays a holistic, all-encompassing part in the wellbeing of community members. Entrusting people with a criminal background to facilitate nonviolent intervention and providing in-depth training in crime prevention is possibly the best alternative to police funding or further, more costly initiatives.The unique initiative which CVVI has set forth must not be squandered on the basis of other priorities.
It is the job of the City to ensure that the instances of gun violence which inspired CVVI’s creation do not become commonplace. Although the police do their best to prevent such altercations, it can only help to have another organization that seeks to reduce violence from another perspective. Seeing the dedication that CVVI has to ensuring the safety of the community and its inarguable efficacy, it is a clear mistake to cut its funding, as the CVVI plays a significant role in keeping Charlottesville safe.
Alex Shrauger is an opinion columnist who writes about academics for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the authors alone.
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