Gov. Pritzker Joins Community Violence Prevention Leaders in Chicago’s Austin Community

CHICAGO - Today, Governor JB Pritzker participated in a roundtable with leadership from the Illinois Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) recipient organizations in the Austin neighborhood to discuss the progress of their programs in reducing crime and violence across Chicago’s West Side.

Hosted by the Institute for Non-Violence and together with Westside Health Authority, Together Chicago, and BUILD, the roundtable discussion comes as local organizations are having to divert their resources and energy from crime reduction efforts to preparing for the increase of federal officers to our communities. The Trump Administration continues to threaten the use of the National Guard and increased immigration enforcement as a justification to fight crime, despite freezing $158 million for violence prevention programs and rescinding more than $800 million in anti-violence and crime reduction grants nationwide that were working in Chicago.

“If the Trump Administration wanted to focus on fighting crime, they would not be cutting programs that have a demonstrated track record in reducing crime and violence. On top of that, his ongoing threat of deploying military personnel under the guise of public safety is dangerous and reckless,” said Governor Pritzker. “I stand in unity with our local organizations that are utilizing evidence-based research to bring crime down and seeing real-time progress. I’m grateful that the state of Illinois continues to show up with action and results, regardless of the political stunts being orchestrated at the federal level.”

The Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA) signed by Governor Pritzker in 2021 charged the Illinois Department of Human Services to create the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) and to issue grants to community based organizations in the areas with the highest levels of gun violence in Chicago and across the state. OFVP data from 2025 so far indicates a 26% reduction in gun violence in the Austin neighborhood as a direct result of the efforts and impacts by local community violence interventionists.

The OFVP has invested over $375 million in trauma-informed, evidence-based programs to reduce gun violence. Those strategies have also proved effective citywide, as crime in Chicago has dropped significantly. Murders are down more than 30% in the past year and cut in half since 2021. Robberies are down 33% from 2024 and 37% since 2023. Shootings, burglaries, and motor vehicle thefts are all similarly down in the last year.

By focusing on giving young people safe and supportive places to be outside of school and by giving access to trauma-informed mental healthcare, the OFVP grants leverage community-based organizations to make those communities safer and healthier environments for their community members. ​

Governor Pritzker stands with leaders from the Institute for Non-Violence, Westside Health Authority, Together Chicago, and BUILD. (Office of Governor Pritzker)

###