# Break the Cycle of Violence Act: Plain Language Summary

This bill creates a new federal funding program to help communities reduce gun violence and street violence through community-based intervention programs rather than traditional law enforcement approaches. The Department of Health and Human Services would distribute grants to nonprofits and local governments in cities experiencing high homicide rates—specifically those with 35 or more murders per year, or 20 or more murders with a rate double the national average. The money would support programs that hire violence intervention specialists (often people from the community with lived experience in these neighborhoods) to work with individuals at highest risk of being shot or shooting someone else, connecting them with counseling, job training, housing help, and other support services.

The bill focuses on several proven strategies that have shown success in reducing violence. These include community outreach programs that build relationships with at-risk individuals, hospital-based programs that work with gunshot victims during recovery to prevent retaliation, and violence interruption teams that respond to conflicts to prevent them from turning deadly. The bill also emphasizes job training and economic opportunity programs, recognizing that employment access can reduce violence. A companion program through the Department of Labor would provide job training and apprenticeships specifically for young people ages 16-24 who aren't currently in school or working.

The bill acknowledges that gun violence disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities, particularly young men and boys, and that this violence is rooted in historical discrimination and disinvestment in certain neighborhoods. By funding community-led solutions rather than increased incarceration, the bill aims to address violence as a public health issue while healing communities and reducing the enormous economic costs of gun violence, which the bill notes exceeds $557 billion annually.