1 NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY: REDUCING VIOLENT CRIME AMONG YOUTH IN GRANVILLE AND VANCE COUNTIES

Violent crime is a crucial element within the neighborhood and built environment, impacting a community&rsquo;s overall progress towards improving social determinants of health. The Granville and Vance community health assessment (CHA) highlights violent crime in these counties as an impeding factor to community safety, especially among the youth population (ages 10-24). Quantitative and qualitative data from the 2018 and 2021 CHA conducted by the<br />Granville Vance public health department provided sufficient context for identifying violent crime as a serious problem for these counties. Further research into county level and state level crime rates yielded results that indicate violent crime in Vance County is a greater problem than in Granville and the state overall. Violent crime disrupts community cohesion and has a multitude of short term and long-term impacts for individuals and the community. Several concepts such as systems thinking, community engagement, leadership, policy review and quality improvement were utilized to<br />identify leverage points aimed at reducing violent crimes. This proposal recommends the implementation of youth intervention programs, such as structured mentorships, after-school activities, safe riding programs, and job training, as primary interventions for reducing youth violent crime. Interventions should be supported through policy and community engagement.