Alliance of Local Service Organizations

Using an effective combination of evidence-based practices and lived experience, ALSO outreach workers and violence interrupters intervene to prevent escalating street conflict including shootings, and homicides resulting in acts of community or family violence. ALSO staff work directly with in-risk individuals to de-escalate tension and prevent tragic outcomes.

As part of these efforts, ALSO staff build positive relationships with community stakeholders including businesses, faith leaders, schools, community-based programs, residents, and in-risk* youth. Outreach workers and violence interrupters simultaneously to engage in norm-shifting efforts through deep mentorship, meeting young people where they are at, and by modeling safe choices, healthy masculinity, and responsible fatherhood to improve outcomes and opportunities.

While working 10 hours a week at $10 per hour for 10 weeks, disconnected youth and young adults in the 10-10-10 Program learn how to set up and operate state-of-the-art sound system equipment speakers, musicians and vocalists. Participants explore opportunities for job placement and learn what is required to obtain and retain a job as a sound technician. Youth build a history of mainstream employment and as well as learn technical skills through this program. In addition to teaching technical skills, staff engage participants in discussions and exercises about how to prevent violence in their own lives, and about pro-social skills that contribute to healthy choices, resilience, and peaceful conflict resolution.

As part of ALSO’s direct service initiatives, re-entry services provide support and guidance to youth and young adults transitioning from incarceration back into the community. By providing the tools to establish positive, independent lives, re-entry services help these youth and young adults overcome the many challenges they face during the re-entry period.

The success of these re-entry services hinges on a tailored case-management approach that establishes relationships with individuals living in risk*. Case managers support both the individual and his/her family in accessing a variety of services, including educational and vocational programs, healthcare, housing and treatment. These services often include GED or high school enrollment assistance, mentoring, treatment services such as substance abuse and anger management, parenting classes, gang-related tattoo removal, transitional housing and much more. Through this holistic approach, re-entry services prevent recidivism by building a strong foundation for overall wellbeing and support.

*In-risk: risk factors have already resulted in adverse effects, versus at-risk which suggests the potential for future harm

ALSO is a Restorative Justice Hub (RJ Hub) in Humboldt Park through Adler University-Institute of Public Safety and Social Justice. ALSO joins other local organizations, working with in-risk youth and their families, in applying community-led restorative justice approaches to reduce youth conflict and violence. ALSO's work within the RJ Hubs will focus on violence prevention and conflict mediation with street-involved youth. Our dedication to raising awareness of the connection between community violence and intimate partner conflict is a unique perspective ALSO brings to the RJ Hubs team.

The activities of the RJ Hubs are grounded in the following five pillars, which are essential in reducing violence and supporting the healing and growth of young people:
A welcoming and hospital place
The accompaniment of youth in their journey
Relationship building with youth and families
Relentless engagement of organizations and resources for the youth and families
Supporting collaboration and learning with other RJ Hubs
To learn more about this model and what organizations are involved in this program, please visit Adler University's Community Restorative Justice Hubs page.

ALSO and partner Men Can Stop Rape offer training and consultation to grantees of the Consolidated Grant Program to Address Children and Youth Experiencing Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and Engage Men and Boys as Allies, funded through the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. Services assist first responders around the country working to reduce the effects of violence on children, youth and their non-offending caregivers through tailored consulting and capacity-building to prevent future exposure to and acts of violence. Currently our services extend to over 45 victim service and mental health organizations, Child Advocacy Centers, government agencies and other organizations receiving these federal funds across the country.

Our team strives to offer highly needs-responsive training and consultation for organizations on prevention and intervention of violence and treatment for young people whose lives are impacted by violence. We emphasize skills-building, best practices, and collaboration amongst Consolidated Youth and Engaging Men Program (CYEM) grantees.

The CYEM Program offers training and consultation through:
National training institutes;
Regional trainings;
Learning collaboratives;
Peer-to-peer education and networking;
Virtual meetings and webinars;
Weekly resources;
Individualized technical assistance.

The STAAR Project offers guidance to Violence Against Women Act STOP grant recipients.

Funded through a cooperative agreement with the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Dept. of Justice, the STOP Technical Assistance to Administrators Resource Project (STAAR Project) is a national project that assists all 56 U.S. states and territories with the planning and implementation of federal STOP Formula Grants for the purpose of supporting victim services; improving criminal justice system responses to domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and establishing coordinated community responses to these crimes.

The STAAR Project assists state and territory administering agencies in their implementation of the STOP Formula Grants Program. The STAAR Project consults STOP administrators and local programs on how to maximize STOP funds to improve law enforcement, prosecution, and court responses, and provide victim services, advocacy, and legal services that address the needs of all victims.

All States and Territories applying for a STOP Grant must develop an implementation plan in coordination and consultation with a number of entities, in accordance with the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, in addition to other requirements.

The STAAR Project offers guidance to states and territories and their local programs on a range of topics including:

Developing and implementing an inclusive Statewide/Territory-wide planning process;
Coordinating with other Federal and State funding streams;
Soliciting applications that address State and Territory needs;
Managing and monitoring STOP sub-grantees;
Implementing promising criminal justice system policies, procedures, and practices;
Addressing the needs of all victims; and
Collaborating and coordinating among multiple disciplines and entities to ensure safety for victims and offender accountability.

Funded through the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, ALSO’s Underserved Technical Assistance Project provides training and technical assistance to grantees of the new Outreach and Services to Underserved Grant Program to increase their capacity to develop and implement outreach strategies targeted at, and to provide victim services to, adult and youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations. In this program, underserved refers to populations who face barriers in accessing and using victim services, and includes populations underserved because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, underserved racial and ethnic populations, populations underserved because of special needs (such as language barriers, disabilities, alienage status, or age). This grant program prioritizes sexual assault services and training.
To provide technical assistance, ALSO will collaborate with a diverse team of consultants and subject matter experts to meet the unique and varied needs of these grantees. The technical assistance strategies for the project are guided by 8 key values: peer knowledge, survivor centered approaches, access to information, respect for diversity, strengths-based approaches, dynamic interactions to work towards change, an intersectional approach to working with diverse communities, and collaboration on mutually agreed upon goals.

The four major objectives for the Underserved Technical Assistance Project are to:

Provide Support and Guidance on Effectively Reaching Underserved Communities
Increase the Capacity of Grantees to Address Sexual Assault
Provide and Broker Subject Matter Expertise and TA
Offer Knowledge and Skill-Building Opportunities