FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2026

Contact:
Barry Johnson
Email: [email protected]
Cell: 609-414-8890

End Community Violence Now Releases Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Ecosystem Report

Based on the report’s findings, ECVN is calling on the state of Delaware to invest an additional $5 million for FY2027 to support proven violence intervention strategies

WILMINGTON – Today, End Community Violence Now (ECVN) has officially released its Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Ecosystem report, calling for a $5 million dollar investment in community-based organizations, and the prioritization of data infrastructure from Governor Meyer and the Delaware General Assembly. The report found that after more than a decade of persistent spikes in gun violence in Wilmington, formerly known as “Murder Town USA,” gun homicides and firearm assaults have significantly decreased and returned to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, as of January 2025, there have been zero homicides and shootings in Laurel, DE. ECVN attributes these reductions in violence to strategic investments in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs supported by the state in recent years.

In FY2024 and FY2025, Delaware continued building a coordinated violence reduction strategy that began in 2018 with a statewide landscape analysis funded by the Welfare Foundation. In 2019, the State launched Group Violence Intervention (GVI) and ChristianaCare began Empowering Victims of Lived Violence (EVOLV), followed by philanthropic support for community-based street outreach in 2020. In 2021, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) funded a statewide Community of Practice to strengthen coordination and standards across providers, and in 2022 the Criminal Justice Council secured $1.9 million in federal funding to expand programs, the same year Wilmington completed its own landscape analysis. In 2023, the City began directly funding the Wilmington Street Team. Recent investments have focused on high-need communities, especially Wilmington, with philanthropy and the State of Delaware supporting outreach and wraparound services in West Laurel. Wilmington saw a 21 percent drop in shootings and a 20 percent drop in murders in 2025 compared to 2024, but increases in Kent and Sussex Counties show the need to expand this approach statewide.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins’ Center for Gun Violence Solutions, the economic cost of gun deaths in Delaware is estimated at $1.3 billion each year, or roughly $1,236 for every resident in the state. This cost includes immediate and long-term expenses paid by taxpayers including police response, emergency medical care, and related criminal justice and government services, lost tax revenue, incarceration expenses, and victim support services.

“The recent decreases in violence in Wilmington and the continued downward trends in Laurel show that coordinated, community-driven strategies are making a difference. At the same time, when we look at the data per capita, the burden of violence is still concentrated and inequitable. That tells us two things: what we are doing is working — and we cannot afford to scale back. Through sustained investments and advocating for strong data infrastructure, we will ensure that this progress becomes permanent.”

The increase in gun-related incidents in Kent and Sussex Counties speak to the urgent need to make further investments in CVI programs across the state. ECVN is calling on Governor Matt Mayer and the Delaware General Assembly to allocate an additional $5 million for FY2027 to be dispersed over 3 years. This sustained investment will ensure that communities beyond Wilmington will benefit from the life-saving CVI programs such as credible-messenger and community-based programs, hospital-based violence intervention, and strong coordination among local governments, healthcare systems, philanthropy, and community partners.

CVI programs are customized intervention services for the very small population of individuals who face the highest risk of engaging in violence. Gun violence in Delaware is highly concentrated in communities that have faced longstanding historical disinvestment. Notably, young Black males between the ages of 15–34, who represent only 3 percent of Delaware’s population, accounted for 40 percent of all gun homicide fatalities in 2023.

“Community Violence Intervention programs are designed to reach the very small number of individuals at the highest risk of being involved in violence,” said Mike McLively, ECVN board member and policy director of the GIFFORDS Center for Violence Intervention. “In Delaware, where gun violence is highly concentrated among young Black men ages 15 to 34 — who in 2023 made up just three percent of the population but 40 percent of gun homicide victims — we cannot afford to rely on assumptions. We need strong, shared data systems to ensure resources are precisely targeted, outcomes are measured consistently, and programs are aligned with national best practices. At the same time, data without sustainable funding is not enough. Long-term investment is essential to build the infrastructure that allows CVI organizations to operate with stability, accountability, and measurable impact. When we pair reliable funding with rigorous data, we create the conditions to save lives.”

 

ECVN is also calling on Delaware to invest in a statewide gun-violence data system to effectively understand and respond to the state’s escalating gun violence crisis. To date, the Wilmington Police Department is the only municipal police department in the state to publish consistent, transparent data related to gun violence. While neighboring states such as Maryland and Pennsylvania already have public-facing data systems in place, they are able to more quickly track violence trends and hotspots, implement rapid response and policymaking strategies, and ensure that resources are being allocated and deployed effectively and equitably. By putting in place a statewide gun-violence data system, Delaware will be able to improve coordination across jurisdictions and systems as well as evaluate the effectiveness of CVI strategies.

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End Community Violence Now (ECVN) is the state of Delaware’s community-based Office of Violence Prevention. This public-private partnership seeks to break the cycle of violence through coordinated and sustained investments in evidence-based programs. This includes community engagement and education campaigns, policy advocacy, stakeholder strategy, as well as offering technical assistance and grant-making support to local organizations on the ground doing the difficult, but necessary work. ECVN envisions a future where all Delawareans are safe from the rising threat of gun violence.