REAL LIFE’s Violence Prevention Initiative is a comprehensive approach to address violence through programs and partnerships. VPI addresses violence through three populations: those engaged or at high risk to be engaged in violence, communities impacted by violence, and law enforcement and community stakeholders seeking to address violence. REAL LIFE is uniquely positioned to make VPI a success. All of the components of VPI allow REAL LIFE to build upon the strong foundation of services we currently provide, including intensive case management, transitional recovery housing, behavior modification curriculum, employment support, and education support. REAL LIFE’s VPI includes three core programs: Gun Violence Reduction, Community Resilience Programming, and Domestic Violence Prevention. Click below to read more about each.
Gun Violence Reduction Project SAF (Safe, Alive, and Free) is a program focused on identifying individuals who are most at risk of becoming involved in violence and offering them opportunities for intervention and positive life change. Through our intensive life coaching program, Project SAF aims to provide the support, guidance, and services necessary for each person to lead a safer and more fulfilling life. Currently launched in Hopewell, Richmond, and Petersburg, Virginia, Project SAF identifies the very small but specific groups of individuals associated with the vast majority of violence. Once an individual is identified, our life coaches initiate contact, carefully tailoring each outreach to meet the person’s specific needs and circumstances. During this first interaction, we share a powerful message: we want you safe, alive, and free. We offer an opportunity for change through our life coaching program, which includes tailored wrap-around services and referrals to partner organizations that can provide additional support. From that point forward, our approach is one of relentless engagement, ensuring that the individual receives consistent and unwavering support throughout their journey. This approach not only helps at-risk individuals to make meaningful changes in their lives, but also disrupts group and gang dynamics. By intervening and offering alternative paths, we often interrupt long-standing issues and potential retaliations that may have been festering for years. Through persistent support and engagement, we aim to break the cycle of violence and foster safer, more peaceful communities. To contact Project SAF staff and Life Coaches, please call (804) 738-1556. Project SAF Updates June 2023 – March 2024 April – June 2024 July – September 2024 October – December 2024 January – March 2025 April – June 2025
Community Resilience Programming Each instance of violence impacts not only the perpetrator and victim, but also their entire community. Our REAL Community Resilience Project (CRP) works to organize communities around ACE (adverse childhood experience) prevention and intervention, as well as building resilience among those impacted by ACEs. By providing communities, local stakeholders, and community organizations with a better understanding of the devastating impact ACEs can have on an individual over the course of their life, as well as an understanding of what behaviors are frequently associated with ACEs, communities where children traditionally experience higher rates of ACEs will be able to organize to provide effective supports. By giving a name to the issue and understanding it better, it’s easier to remediate and prevent the issue from continuing to arise. To find opportunities in your community to help build resilience or additional organizations providing support after an incident of violence, please visit our resource directory. City of Richmond and RRHA Communities Tri-Cities Area (Hopewell, Petersburg, Colonial Heights)
Domestic Violence Prevention REAL LIFE’s Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Program addresses the behavior of domestic and intimate partner violence by working with the individuals who have perpetrated violence. While there is very important work and programs for survivors, before REAL LIFE’s curriculum there was only one program designed for individuals who have perpetrated. That program is over 20 years old, does not include trauma, and has not proven to be effective through research. Through funding from the Virginia Department of Health, a curriculum specific for this program and population was developed. The curriculum is specifically aimed at addressing the underlying issues that lead to individuals engaging in domestic and intimate partner violence, as well as ways to prevent this from occurring in the future. This is way more complex than a relationship course and anger management class and it was therefore written with that knowledge. REAL LIFE realizes that if services are not provided directly for individuals who have perpetrated, the cycle of violence will never end, and in fact, will continue through multiple generations if efforts are not made to break this cycle. Currently, we provide this program to those living in REAL LIFE recovery houses who are appropriately matched, as well as in 5 jails and 2 prisons in Virginia.
In order to execute our Community Resilience Project, we need two different kinds of volunteers: Resilience Ambassadors and Service Providers. Resilience Ambassadors will work to connect with survivors of traumatic experiences to help guide and support them and/or also present community wellness workshops. A Service Provider would be anyone who is connected to a group or organization that has resources available to connect to those that are in need of a service or material goods (such as food pantry, clothes, mental health services, etc.). Our Community Resilience Project will provide specialized training to volunteers to provide a response to community members affected by trauma – including families directly impacted or neighborhoods plagued by violence. For more information, contact Josh Webner at josh@reallifeprogram.org Click here to get involved.
