Gun violence is a crisis in Philadelphia.
It affects our entire city and impacts the health and wellbeing of individuals, and whole communities in too many neighborhoods.
This public crisis demands coordinated civic action. Government has a crucial role to play but cannot solve this alone.
The Problem:
Philadelphia is in crisis.
Homicides by Year
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We cannot wait and hope things get better. We must effect change and we must act together.
Other cities have shown that, through collaboration, gun violence can be reduced and lives can be saved.
Cities that have successfully reduced gun violence and sustained those reductions over time have cross-sector collaboration and ownership of a shared strategy in order to bring the expertise, authority, tools, and resources necessary to the table.
They focus on identifying the risk factors that place someone at the highest risk of killing or being killed by gun violence, and they aggressively focus on saving endangered lives.
The City of Oakland, California implemented this strategy with broad faith-based, community, civic and philanthropic support and realized a 46% reduction in homicides and a 50% reduction in non-fatal shootings over the course of six years and multiple administrations.
The City of Indianapolis began their efforts in January 2022. In just one year, they realized a 16% percent reduction in homicides and a 13% reduction in non-fatal shootings over last year, thanks to a shared strategy between the city, law enforcement, service providers, and the community.
The Coalition to Save Lives will help catalyze a broad effort to reduce gun deaths annually using strategies that have proven successful in other cities.
The Philadelphia Foundation and the William Penn Foundation, in partnership with Urban Affairs Coalition, The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Equity Alliance, have stepped forward to help catalyze a broad civic effort that will drive adoption of evidence-based and sustainable strategies.
The Coalition to Save Lives represents a cross-section of community and faith-based organizations, foundations, non-profit groups, and the business community.
As this diverse Coalition of leaders grows, the Mayor and his administration, the District Attorney, and City Council President have welcomed our offer of partnership.
The Coalition to Save Lives aims to provide the collaboration, data, tools, and resources to drive adoption of evidence-based, human-centered, sustainable strategies.
The Coalition to Save Lives includes three core pillars:
Coordination
Establishing an intervention coordination center that will help to expand the capacity, effectiveness, and coordination of the city’s intervention efforts.
Resources
Forming a Community Safety civic resource board that will provide experts and resources from the business and civic community to support the effort.
Information
Launching a Community Safety information campaign to keep stakeholders current on obstacles, successes, and evidence-based strategies to combat gun violence.
Together, as a city, we have the resources, support, and commitment to save lives. There is nothing more important we can do for the city than to address the gun violence crisis.
Join These Initial Coalition Supporters
3rd Floor Media – African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ and DE – Aramark – Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia – Asociación Puertorriqueños En Marcha (APM) – Ballard Spahr – Barra Foundation – Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region – Blank Rome – Bradley & Bradley Associates – CADEkids – CeaseFirePA Education Fund – Ceiba – Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy – Center City District – Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia – ChatterBlast – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – Children’s Scholarship Fund of Philadelphia – Citizen’s Bank – Comcast NBCUniversal – Community College of Philadelphia – Congreso de Latinos Unidos – Connelly Foundation – Drexel University – Educators For Education – Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church – Esperanza – First Person Arts – FS Investments – Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia – Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity – Holy Family University – Independence Blue Cross – Independence Business Alliance – Jacobson Strategic Communications – JEVS Human Services – Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia – Johns & Taylor – Kleinbard, LLC – La Salle University – Laborers District Council of the Metropolitan Area of Philadelphia & Vicinity – Maternity Care Coalition – Morgan Lewis – Mural Arts Philadelphia – Neubauer Family Foundation – One Day At A Time (ODAAT) – Patricia Kind Family Foundation – PECO – Pennsylvania Horticultural Society – Philabundance – Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations – Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council – Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation – Philadelphia Cross Town Coalition – Philadelphia Eagles – Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral – Philadelphia Equity Alliance – Philadelphia Flyers – Philadelphia Foundation – Philadelphia Health Partnership – Philadelphia Youth Basketball, Inc. – Philanthropy Network of Greater Philadelphia – Please Touch Museum – Project HOME – Public Health Management Corporation – Regional Foundation – Salem Baptist Church of Abington – Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia Area – Scattergood Foundation – SEPTA – Stoneleigh Foundation – Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP – Temple University – The Pew Charitable Trusts – The Rush Group – The William Penn Foundation – Thomas Jefferson University/Jefferson Health – Turning Points for Children – United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern NJ – University of Pennsylvania – University of Pennsylvania Crime and Justice Policy Lab – UpLift Solutions – Urban Affairs Coalition – Urban League of Philadelphia – van Ameringen Foundation – Visit Philadelphia – Wawa – WSFS – Youth Advocate Program