The county Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Wednesday to spend $250,000 annually for a gun-violence prevention program in the community of Spring Valley.
The approval expands the No Shots Fired program, which was started in 2021 in partnership with the city of San Diego, according to board Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe's office.
According to her office, the program "has demonstrated measurable success through proactive, community-centered approaches," including:
- quick response to shootings, as a way to prevent retaliation;
- mentorship and wraparound services for people at high risk of violence;
- gang conflict mediation and disruption;
- cognitive, behavioral therapy-based group sessions; and
- public engagement and violence prevention campaigns.
The county Department of Purchasing and Contracting will negotiate with Shaphat Outreach, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization leading the NSF program.
"Pending successful negotiations, the county will award a contract for an initial one-year term, with up to five additional one-year options and a potential six-month extension," according to Montgomery Steppe's office.
The contract may also be amended if there are changes to services or funding, the office added.
"By partnering with trusted community organizations, we can interrupt cycles of violence before they escalate and provide meaningful support to those most at risk, Montgomery Steppe said.
She was traveling on county business Wednesday and participated in the board meeting via teleconference.
Montgomery Steppe — whose district includes Spring Valley — said that as a former San Diego City Council member, she championed the No Shots Fired Program.
A recent study shows that costs from one fatal shooting in San Diego County are around $4 million, while a non-fatal one costs $1.3 million, she said.
Community-based programs "represent a fraction of those costs and offer a proven solution," she added.
During public comment on Wednesday, Shaphat leader Cornelius Bowser said gun violence heavily affects Black and Hispanic communities, and is rooted in a system of inequality and trauma.
However, via the program, "we have seen real results: Fewer shootings, safer neighborhoods and lives transformed, but we cannot do this alone," Bowser said. `With county backing, No Shots Fired can become a regional model."
A felon and former gang member who works with Shaphat Outreach said he knows many families who have benefited from the program.
"We're the boots on the ground," the man said. "We are here to make a change in the right direction."
Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Jim Desmond also praised NSFP.
"I think it's very worthy, and we've got to do everything we can to reduce violence in our communities," Desmond said, adding the program could possibly be expanded elsewhere in the county if Spring Valley initiative works well," Aguirre said. "This is the kind of public safety investment our county should be doing."
When lived experience is paired with accountability, support and community trust, "it becomes one of the most powerful tools we have for prevention," Aguirre said.
Supervisor Joel Anderson was absent from the Wednesday meeting.
