Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board
Through our youth diversion and development model, the Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board (NOAB), NICJR is demonstrating a new approach to youth justice that focuses on restorative, rather than punitive practices; increases community involvement in decision making; and invests resources in youth, families, and neighborhoods.
Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise
Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise (HWW) is a culturally relevant, trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program developed by NICJR Executive Director David Muhammad and partners with support from the Alameda County Department of Behavioral Health. HWW was specifically created to reach young people who are at very high risk for violence involvement. The aim of the program is to change the mentality that gives rise to destructive behaviors.
HWW focuses on gaining each participant’s trust through meaningful, frequent contact with staff who are from the same community and/or who have similar life experiences as the participant. Through weekly sessions over a 14- to 16-week period, HWW participants explore decision making, purpose and identity, overcoming trauma, and life skills in a peer cohort. Participants are also connected to individual life coaching and receive small financial incentives for participation and graduation.
NICJR facilitates HWW cognitive behavioral therapy trainings for high-risk, group-involved individuals referred by the Oakland Department of Violence Prevention. We also provide HWW Train-the-Trainer trainings and have supported multiple communities and organizations in standing up their own HWW programs.
Emergency Relocation Services
NICJR also partners with the Oakland Department of Violence Prevention to provide emergency relocation services for individuals who are in imminent danger of being victims of gun violence. This includes immediately connecting with referred individuals; working with them to identify an appropriate relocation option based on their circumstances and eligibility for various housing options; helping them navigate the logistics of relocation; and providing funding to support relocation costs such as a motel/hotel stay, rent assistance, and travel or moving costs.
Knoxville Peace
Knoxville Peace is a community violence intervention initiative developed in partnership with the Knoxville Mayor’s Office, Office of Community Safety and Empowerment, Knoxville community, and NICJR. The program provides focused support to individuals at the highest risk of being involved in gun violence. In line with NICJR’s life coaching model, Knoxville Peace employs a team of credible messenger Outreach Workers and Life Coaches who interrupt cycles of violence by developing positive and trusting relationships with high-risk individuals, working with them to develop detailed Life Plans, and connecting them to needed services and supports.