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Long Beach Violence Prevention Program to End as State Funding Expires
By Staff Writer
Published on Fri, Apr 24, 2026
A state-funded violence prevention program in Long Beach will come to an end on June 30, 2026, following the expiration of its grant funding.
City health officials announced that services supported through the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) program, also known as Activating Safe Communities, will conclude at the end of the current funding cycle.
The program began in 2022 with a focus on reducing community violence in the Washington neighborhood. It later expanded in 2025 to include areas in North and Central-East Long Beach. Over its four-year run, the initiative implemented coordinated strategies to address gun-related incidents, provide support services and strengthen partnerships aimed at improving community safety.
Funded by approximately $3.9 million in state resources, the program supported a range of efforts including outreach, youth mentoring, park programming and economic engagement initiatives. Between 2022 and 2025, more than 100 individuals participated in case coordination services, while youth programs reached more than 100 participants.
Specialized response teams were deployed more than 50 times to address gun-related incidents, providing support to affected individuals and working to prevent further violence. The program also trained more than 30 community violence intervention workers in de-escalation, mentorship and crisis response techniques.
Community engagement efforts included more than 60 events attended by nearly 8,000 residents.
City officials sought additional funding to continue and expand the program beyond 2026, requesting $5 million through a new round of state grants. The application was not approved, and the following CalVIP services will no longer be funded after June 30, 2026:
- Community-Based Partnerships: Subcontracted violence prevention and healing response services;
- Gun Violence Response Protocol: A coordinated rapid-response approach leveraging community partners after gun-involved incidents to prevent retaliation, support impacted people and promote community healing; and
- Community Violence Intervention Initiative: Training programs for violence intervention workers.
Violence prevention efforts through the City’s Long Beach Advancing Peace initiative will continue. Ongoing LBAP initiatives include programs focused on safe passage, healing response and community collaboration.
Community members may support local public health efforts by making a tax-deductible donation to the Health and Human Services Fund through the Long Beach Community Foundation.
