Posted on May 5, 2025
By Isaiah Fudge
Director
Positive Youth Development
For more information on this topic, contact Isaiah at ifudge@acnj.org
On April 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice terminated $811 million in funding to programs across the nation that support essential services for youth, including mental wellness, rehabilitation, and school safety. One critical resource in New Jersey—community-based violence intervention and prevention (CBVIP) programs—has lost over $35 million in federal funding, inevitably impacting a large percentage of the over 2 million children in the state.
What’s Being Lost
As gun violence garners attention as a public health crisis, violence intervention and prevention (VIP) has emerged as an essential, whole-child health initiative capable of responding to such an issue. According to the State of New Jersey, “CBVI programming reached more than 16,000 community members through strategic partnerships with schools, community events, group and one-on-one programs, and responses to violent incidents.” Such efforts from CBVIP reduce the strain on entities like schools and law enforcement. Consequently, as VIP work has proliferated, N.J. has seen decreases in school referrals to police for weapons, and a steady reduction in gun violence. Specifically, 2024 crime data showed a 16% decline in shootings from 2023—reflecting a record low since tracking began in 2009. This followed a 13% decrease from 2022 to 2023, continuing a steady downward trend.
Additionally, N.J.’s chronic absenteeism rate continues to fall due in part to CBVIP efforts to protect youth as they go to and from school. Many youth who experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) encounter VIP programs that positively impact them. These organizations frequently offer community education and employment opportunities, affording disconnected youth opportunities to establish, or reestablish, themselves within their communities.
Who These Cuts Will Affect
- Youth in economically insecure communities across the state
- Victims of crimes
- Organizations addressing root causes of violence
- Caregivers of the youth in these communities
- Youth in schools across the state
- Faculty and staff in schools and other youth-serving institutions
- Youth diverted from detention and into rehabilitative programming
- Youth seeking mental wellness supports
- Law enforcement agencies and other public safety officials
Key Impacts in New Jersey
(To explore the following data and more, view ACNJ’s Kids Count 2025 Pocket Guide.)
- There are 1,379,988 students in N.J.’s schools. Schools will now have more strain placed on them to address issues such as discipline, safety, and access to mental health resources.
- The youth arrest rate has fallen by 26% since 2020. Law enforcement will face pressures to sustain this without CBVIP’s support.
- As CBVIP jobs are cut, families will face increased economic insecurity, contributing to an already rising food insecure child population.
Read more on the CBVIP cuts.
