Common Ground

This article is about the violence reduction initiative. For other uses, see Common Ground (disambiguation).

Common Ground is a wide-ranging group of programs led by the City of Birmingham and other regional authorities which are intended to reduce violence in the community by intervening in its root causes.

H.E.A.T. Program

The H.E.A.T. Program (for Habilitation, Empowerment, and Accountability Therapy) is an in-school curriculum which was developed by Darryl Turpin during his time as director of the Drug Court Programs Office in Louisville, Kentucky and as branch manager of program development for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. It is offered through his company, The Pinwheel Group, based in Louisville.

The H.E.A.T. Program was initially implemented in the city as a diversion program focused on drug use and abuse at Birmingham Municipal Court. With direction from Judge Andra Sparks it was expanded to work with issues leading to violence and conflict.

Birmingham City Schools introduced a pilot version of the H.E.A.T. Program at Carver High School in 2021. In 2022, with the support of superintendent Mark Sullivan and the city's principals, the Birmingham City Council approved a 3-year contract for $1 million to fund the program system-wide. Initially each school selected 15 to 20 students from grades 6 through 12 to meet twice weekly with trained coaches for "therapeutic counseling".

Restore

Restore is a case-managed re-entry program for inmates being released from Alabama Department of Youth Services facilities to families in Jefferson County. The program was launched in spring 2023, supported by $225,000 from the City of Birmingham and operated through the Jefferson County Family Court, Jefferson County Family Resource Center, and Jefferson County Detention Center. The executive director for the program is Carrie Buntain.

Program coordinators Jamaine Stanton and Antski Williams participate in assessing potential participants referred by probation officers, and then develop customized workshops and services for each case. Participants and their families receive assistance in planning for stable housing, education, job placement, and transportation and are familiarized with other community-based services. Workshop sessions are held at the Crescent Cultural Community Center in West End, with support from Faith in Action Alabama and UAB's TRIO Educational Opportunity Center.

The Surge Project

The Surge Project, founded by T. Ellis, is a non-profit organization which supports the Common Ground initiative with workforce training programs in healthcare professions. The group was awarded an $80,800 "BOLD" grant from the Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity to support programs for 40 adults aged 18-35 in partnership with the National Training Institute for Healthcare Technicians.

Safe Haven

In conjunction with other Common Ground initiatives for youth, the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board expanded summer programming for school-age children at its recreation centers. In addition to extended hours for supervised sports and games, the facilities provided meals and scheduled guest mentors, teachers, and mental health professionals to offer personal development resources to children as well as their parents.

The program began in the summer of 2022 and was expanded in 2023. The board's plan to expand hours at public swimming pools was hampered by a shortage of qualified lifeguards.

Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program

The Jefferson County Department of Health partnered with the city to implement a Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) at UAB Hospital. The program, based on research in public health, works with victims of violence to provide resources to change the circumstances that may lead to future violent acts. The city allocated funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to contract the Birmingham-based Offender Alumni Association to provide HVIP services.

Justice and Governance Partnership

The "Justice and Governance Partnership" (JGP) was implemented beginning in early 2023. It is based on a program developed by the Washington D.C.-based Aspen Institute's Criminal Justice Reform Initiative. Partners include the City of Birmingham and the Jefferson County Commission, led by Sheila Tyson.

The goal of the program is to document the public costs of violence in a "justice audit," and to begin finding opportunities to move some of those funds from unmanaged policing and emergency services toward public safety and public health investments that reduce violent incidents altogether. The Aspen Institute provides some matching funds for participating jurisdictions.

References

• Johnson, Roy S. (July 25, 2016) "Meet the woman charged with leading Birmingham's effort to stem violence in our neighborhoods." The Birmingham News
• "City of Birmingham to launch conflict resolution curriculum in Birmingham City Schools" (November 21, 2022) City of Birmingham press release
• Jackson, Lauren (May 26, 2023) "Birmingham Parks hosting “safe haven” programs at Rec Centers again this summer." WBRC.com
• Brooks, Gillian (June 26, 2023) "Common Ground program finishes up first semester in Birmingham City Schools." WBRC.com
• Hedgepeth, Lee (July 25, 2023) "Birmingham will fund a ‘violence intervention’ program. Can it get to the heart of the problem?" BirminghamWatch
• Bookman, Alaina (August 3, 2023) "How violence prevention initiatives have evolved in Birmingham." AL.com
• Bookman, Alaina (August 17, 2023) "A new Birmingham violence prevention project helps young people get back on track." AL.com

External links

• Common Ground at birminghamal.gov
• Justice and Governance Partnership at aspeninstitute.org