Statement of the Problem

My objective and role is that of a key informant evaluator to assess the impact of Project HOPE's grant for Year 2. The Project HOPE grant addresses several key issues within the city of Vallejo aimed at reducing crime related to gun violence, gang violence, and other forms of violent crime. Through a variety of comprehensive approaches and strategies from the Vallejo Police Department, this project seeks to restore and rejuvenate the community to an optimal level of public safety and trust with the contracted community partners, the city, and the VPD. Community-partner provided services of education, rehabilitation, and employment opportunities, are a few of the prospects to name that Project HOPE strives to uplift as consequential methods to reduce violent crime and promote communal well-being and development. 

Public health in relation to Project HOPE and the community members of Vallejo focuses on Health Equity. Health equity works hand in hand with cooperative action when all stakeholders and members of the community are actively engaged, empowered to contribute, and committed to addressing disparities through inclusive and collaborative efforts. By uplifting values of public health and safety that disproportionately affect these marginalized communities, the HECJ Lab is shedding light on the reality of the determinants of violence and crime in Vallejo by starting at the community level and listening where it matters. Sokol et al. (2022) theorizes based on the Procedural Justice Theory that a positive association exists between perceived community violence and firearm carriage that is further strengthened by the perceived image of the police themselves and whether or not the community finds them reliable. This makes the public's perception of their immediate environmental safety and level of trust in VPD a significant factor in determining the efficacy of Project HOPE, which makes it a crucial step in the feedback and planning of future public health measures that truly characterize and address the communities' specific needs.