D.C. roundtable advances merger plan for two violence‑intervention programs, witnesses press for worker pay, training and data

Councilmember Brooke Pinto, chairwoman of the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, opened a public roundtable April 23 to discuss a proposed merger of the District’s two main community violence intervention (CVI) programs: the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONES) and the Office of the Attorney General’s Cure the Streets program.

"I believe in violence interruption as a model and as a critical part of our public safety ecosystem," Pinto said, framing the merger as a way to coordinate services, speed referrals and reduce duplication.

The discussion brought together community‑based organization leaders, frontline workers, researchers and residents. Most public witnesses told the committee they support consolidating street outreach programs under a single agency but urged the council to spell out implementation details before transferring operations, including who will sit on the transition advisory team, how frontline workers will be paid and trained, and how the city will protect ongoing services during the change.

Why it matters: Witnesses warned that a rushed or poorly resourced merger could disrupt services to high‑risk residents and undermine public trust. They also flagged an immediate federal development: Pinto and several witnesses said a recent Department of Justice change affecting violence‑intervention grant guidance has created uncertainty for local programs and heightened the stakes for a clear, locally funded plan.

Support for merger, plus caveats

Researchers who have evaluated CVI locally backed a single coordinating agency. Dr. Joseph…