News release from Fairfield University:
Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact, in partnership with Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP), and PT Partners will assess, design and implement evidence-based solutions to persistent community violence. A kick-off reception and press event for project “Amplifying Resident Voices” will take place on Tuesday, March 12 at 1 p.m. at Park City Music Hall, 2926 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, Conn.
Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact, Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP), and PT Partners have received a 3-year, $1 million grant from the Tow Foundation for a research project on gun violence prevention.
Although the number of gun homicides in Bridgeport are significantly lower today than they were in the 1980’s and 90’s, rates have plateaued, indicative of the intractable nature of gun violence in Connecticut’s cities, and cities across the U.S.
By building on what has worked in Bridgeport through the Youth Gun Violence Task force, project “Amplifying Resident Voices” expands on previous research and will assess, design, and implement evidence-based solutions to persistent community violence. The goal is to eliminate gun violence by working alongside resident leadership at the three main public housing communities in Bridgeport—PT Barnum Apartments, the Charles F. Greene Homes, and Trumbull Gardens—to learn from and build the capacity of community members most directly impacted by gun violence to identify and implement solutions. This will be a replicable model that can be applied to other urban communities.
The uniqueness of this project is rooted in its community-based and community-building approach. The project team is working from an assumption that the people most impacted by violence are not the problem. The problem is systematic disinvestment in residents and communities. Violence prevention measures that focus on increased policing alone tend to center people as the problem. Our approach centers residents as the solution.
“We are deeply grateful for the Tow Foundation’s generous support of the ‘Amplifying Resident Voices’ project,” said Marc Donald, President and CEO of RYASAP. “The collaborative effort between RYASAP, Fairfield University, PT Partners, and residents is a powerful example of how, together, data and community engagement can create a safer and healthier future for Bridgeport.”
Launched in January 2024, “Amplifying Resident Voices” will address public health activities core to preventing gun violence:
- Using surveys and ongoing community conversations, risk factors associated with gun violence (e.g., poverty and isolation), as well as protective factors (e.g., youth access to trusted adults) will be identified.
- Developing, implementing and evaluating interventions to reduce risk factors and build resilience—drawing from existing resources and programs such as RYASAP’s Street Safe and school based and restorative practices programs. Evaluation strategies will be developed to track and measure the effectiveness of all interventions.
- Working with resident leaders and community partners including the police department, housing, and health professionals, to institutionalize successful prevention strategies.
In year one, a survey of over 3,000 residents of the three main public housing communities will be conducted. The survey will draw upon previous focus group findings to gather broader input on the impact of violence and insights on prevention. This process will also cultivate resident and youth leadership through participants involvement as co-researchers.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Fairfield University students and faculty to participate in a community-engaged research project,” said Center for Social Impact Director Melissa Quan, EdD. “‘Amplifying Resident Voices’ positions academic and community members as true partners and co-researchers employing a transdisciplinary approach that integrates traditional fields (such as public health and sociology) with expertise rooted in community and lived experience.”
Fairfield University faculty and undergraduate research fellows will work with PT Partners to develop the survey, distribute the survey via a multi-pronged outreach, conduct ongoing data analysis, report key findings, and use data to inform interventions and prevention measures. Fairfield University and PT Partners will also develop and facilitate trainings for resident and youth leaders on data collection, analysis, and leadership for change.
Working with core leadership groups, PT Partners resident leaders and Youth Corps members will and seek to grow participation through on-going communication with residents, including collecting data from youth in the community.
“Between April and December 2023, PT Partners successfully convened 12 Community Conversations, with approximately 375 public housing residents in attendance. These meetings are exclusively for Bridgeport public housing residents and their allies/partners,” said PT Partners Co-Project Director Vanessa Monique Liles. “We are proud that 175 unique individuals have come together during this time to discuss our community assets, issues relevant to our lives, and potential solutions to our challenges. PT Partners is uniquely qualified to bring residents together and build our capacity to become a powerful leadership block in Bridgeport, particularly regarding the issues of gun violence and safety.”
PT Partners will lead the convening, designing, and facilitation of monthly meetings for residents, provide feedback on data analysis and reporting, and identify and facilitate resident leader involvement in research, in collaboration with RYASAP.
RYASAP’s Restorative Justice Programming will be an important resource to the intervention component of this project. Given the success of RYASAP’s school-led programs, the project will aim to expand this program to several new feeder schools that impact the public housing communities.
Data collected throughout will be used to create more responsive and transformational structural solutions to address safety and violence. Current resident leaders will train and develop the capacity of the greater public housing community to heal from, process, and prevent violence—with a focus on how we keep each other safe.
A reception and press event for “Amplifying Resident Voices” will take place on Tuesday, March 12 at 1 p.m. at Park City Music Hall, 2926 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, Conn.
About Tow Foundation:
The Tow Foundation’s mission is to promote wellness and access to opportunities so that individuals and communities can thrive. Based in Connecticut and New York, the Foundation supports visionary leaders and nonprofit organizations that serve historically marginalized populations, help individuals contribute to their communities, and champion advancements and experiences that make it possible for all people to live healthy and joyous lives.
About Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP):
Established in 1985 and serving the Greater Bridgeport region, RYASAP works to ensure the safe and healthy development of youth, young adults, and families by actively engaging organizations, public officials, and community leaders around issues that matter to the community.
About PT Partners:
About PT Partners: PT Partners (PTP) is a grassroots, resident-led, community organizing non-profit. The group aims to rebuild community in Bridgeport public housing; to develop partnerships with community leaders and organizations; and to attract the funding and resources necessary to enable public housing residents to proactively engage in making their neighborhood a healthy and safe place to live.
Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic University, rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states, 47 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the University’s five schools. In the spirit of rigorous and sympathetic inquiry into all dimensions of human experience, Fairfield welcomes students from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and engage in open conversations. The University is located in the heart of a region where the future takes shape, on a stunning campus on the Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.
