Bronzeville Dream Center to Address Violence, Provide Post-Trauma Counseling
Clergy leaders from various faiths, gathered last Friday along with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to launch a collaborative effort between Bright Star Community Outreach, Northwestern Medicine, University Chicago Medicine and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago to combat violence and provide post-trauma counseling and other support.
Speaking from the podium at Bright Star Church, 735 E. 44th St., Rev. Chris Harris, founder of Bright Star Community Outreach and senior pastor of Bright Star Church said, “When it comes to violence, the question becomes, ‘Who is there to counsel the perpetrators, victims, their families and friends once the damage is done?’ It is tremendously important to offer resources to deal with complex emotions and anxieties in the aftermath of violence. Our communities need emotional restoration to break the cycles that caused the violence in the first place.”
Harris was inspired after seeing a model for the program on a 2012 trip to Israel and mentioned the idea to Mayor Emanuel when the Mayor visited his church last summer. The Mayor liked the plan and connected him with Dean M. Harrison, president and CFO of Northwestern Memorial Healthcare.
“The best ideas don’t always come from City Hall but from Chicagoans in every corner of our city and this is a great example of that,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Everyone has a role to play in the safety of our city. This effort is a great example of what’s possible when community organizations, businesses and City government come together as partners to support families and their communities.”
Under the partnership, and through the Mayor's work, the University of Chicago Medicine and Northwestern Medicine committed $250,000 each for the first two years of data gathering, implementation, oversight and evaluation.
United Way of Metropolitan Chicago will offer among other things, funding administration, and access to its network of partners.
The initial phase of the Dream Center is set to begin this fall and will involve engaging community partners to form a Communities That Care coalition, an assessment to determine the scope of the project.
Organizers will conduct a survey for Bronzeville residents to identify risks leading to health and behavioral issues that may escalate to violence. Once the specific challenges are identified, the Dream Center will assemble resources for addressing them. Already, about two-dozen Chicago faith leaders have come together to learn about and support the effort.
“We're tired of doing funerals for young people facing violence. We're tired of facing pain among community members,” Harris said. “Although the Dream Center will sit and start in Bronzeville, our goal is that it will service Chicago, because this problem is a Chicago problem.”
As two leading Chicago-based academic medical centers, Northwestern Medicine and the University of Chicago Medicine will provide program evaluation, access to psychiatric expertise, and financial support. The two will also bring their research experience and medical resources to Harris’ program, along with access to other critical programming needs as identified.
“This approach is a breakthrough among discussions to reduce violence,” said Northwestern's Harrison, who is also cabinet chair of United Way of Metro Chicago. “Faith leaders already possess trust in their communities. We want to leverage those connections to reach people who need post-trauma counseling by using proven data-driven methods.”
Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago, said the Dream Center will be a tangible resource for families struggling through the after-effects of conflict. “The factors behind the prevalence of urban violence are multifaceted, and addressing them requires a personalized and adaptive approach,” Polonsky said. “This model is drawing from the cultural and spiritual strengths of communities plagued by violence and finding solutions that are tailored to work for them.”
Dream Center organizers are taking a phased approach to the project, focusing on training and surveying the Bronzeville community. Work is under way with CTC to develop the survey that will go out by early next year. Counseling and other services are expected to be implemented starting in late summer or early fall 2015. The hope is that the Dream Center’s unique model can be replicated in other Chicago neighborhoods.
“This is a remarkable coalition of collaborators coming together to address a glaring need,” said Wendy DuBoe, president and CEO, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. “While violence gets much attention, making services available to counsel the kids, families, and community members traumatized by conflict can have a lasting positive impact that promotes healing and positive change.”
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