OUR APPROACH
BUILDING TRUST. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. BUILDING PEACE.
By building relationships and trust at the individual, family, and neighborhood levels, each of our programs contribute to our holistic approach to gun violence prevention.
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Focused Interruption uses a 4-step approach to reduce gun violence that is focused on these people, families, and neighborhoods that are most impacted in our area.
PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
CONNECTION TO SOCIAL SERVICES
COMMUNITY BUILDING
FACILITATE HEALING
Photo courtesy of The Wisconsin State Journal
OUTREACH TEAM
Focused Interruption’s Outreach Team works to prevent gun violence by developing relationships with people at highest risk of gun violence and engage these individuals in supportive services such as job placement or training, mental health treatment, legal services, and childcare. Throughout this process our highly trained Outreach Team, many of whom who have lived experience with violence and incarceration, provide ongoing mentoring, life coaching and dispute mediation to people at highest risk of community gun violence.
"I'm proud of the work of Focused Interruption and its leadership team. As a founding member of the group, I have watched this organization grow from an idea on paper to see it make a difference in the lives of families impacted by gun violence in our community. I can't imagine Madison without Focused Interruption and I'm thankful for the critical service they provide to our city and region."
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Michael Johnson, President & CEO
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
SAFETY WORKERS
Focused Interruption’s Community Safety Workers work to prevent gun violence by serving neighborhoods most impacted by community gun violence as conflict mediators, social service connectors, systems navigators and community builders. Our CSW’s work closely with our Outreach and Family Support Group programs by referring families and individuals in their neighborhood at highest risk to the appropriate program. Community Safety Workers also function as an alternative to police officers for non-criminal quality of life 911 calls (such as ongoing noise complaints) where mediation or connection to social services are more appropriate than tickets or arrests. Often from the neighborhoods they serve, Community Safety Workers help facilitate public safety by leveraging their own lived experience, professional skills, and positive working relationships with their neighbors, police, social services, and decision makers.
SUPPORT GROUPS
Focused Interruption’s Support Groups work to prevent gun violence by serving families most impacted by community gun violence, including families of both victims and perpetrators, providing a safe space to heal, process, and connect to others with similar experiences. Support Groups also provide referrals to services such as mental health treatment, job and education resources, legal and rental assistance. Our Support Group Facilitators combine lived experience of community gun violence and incarceration with professional training to facilitate healing and service connection to family members most impacted by community gun violence.
"I never felt safe having my girls alone for such long periods of time, but could never afford any other option. The connections and assistance Focused Interruption provided us has made our days fun again. I know my girls are somewhere safe and being enriched every day with after school activities."
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Madison Resident