Seeking Peace in Philly

Seeking Peace in Philly: Giving Voice to Victims and Working Toward Solutions

On NBC10 at 7:30: Our special report about the determined people working to keep our city safe

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Gun violence leaves so many victims behind -- those who are wounded, who are grieving over loved ones, who witnessed the event or who live in unsafe neighborhoods.

But Philadelphians don't give up when faced with a crisis, particularly the gun violence crisis.

In Philly, the loved ones of victims have joined civic groups and whole communities in an outpouring of support -- and with creative ideas to keep their neighborhoods safe.

NBC10 is committed to covering those stories in our series, Seeking Peace in Philly. In it, we are covering creative programs and determined people that are fighting gun violence.

We know these people and programs aren't a complete solution. We know that the city, including the police, the justice system social services and our elected leaders, must work together for a safer Philadelphia.

But we also think the people who are working so hard for peace deserve to have their stories told.

You can see all our Seeking Peace in Philly stories on our website, here.

Seeking Peace in Philly

Searching for solutions to Philadelphia's gun violence crisis

City leaders hear from youth and residents to work toward ending Philly gun violence crisis

And if you want to tell us about a Seeking Peace story we should cover, send us an email here.

Meanwhile, here are some groups that are in the fight for peace right now. These groups can help you if you've been a victim. They also need the support and donations of people in our community.

Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia (AVP)
(215) 567-6776
AVP oversees several victim support organizations and helps families rebuild their lives after a violent incident. Among its services is the Counseling Center, which provides free therapeutic counseling to children, families and individuals.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

The West/Southwest Victim Services Program (WSW)
(215) 567-6776
Part of the AVP, WSW provides emotional and crisis support, information on police and court proceedings, court accompaniment, assistance on obtaining protection orders, help filling for the Victim Compensation Assistance and referrals to social service agencies.
Area it serves: 12th, 16th, 18th, and 19th police districts.

Families of Murder Victims (FMV)
(267) 217-3754
Also part of AVP, FMV provides victim advocacy and services programs specifically for family members and friends of homicide victims, regardless of the status of the case. They offer emotional support, information on police and court proceedings, court accompaniment, referrals to social service agencies, assistance on filing for Victim Compensation Assistance and on registering for victim notification.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

Healing Hurt People
(215) 762-1177
Healing Hurt People offers hospital and community-based intervention to address the psychological and physical wounds of trauma by providing trauma-focused, evidence-based practices; trauma-informed peer services; and case management for people aged 8-35 who have been shot, stabbed, or assaulted, and for those who have witnessed these events.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

Network of Neighbors Responding to Violence
267-233-4837
Network of Neighbors Responding to Violence offers technical assistance and support, psychological first aid, post-traumatic stress management and training for trauma responders.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

Mothers in Charge
(215) 228-1718
Mothers In Charge, Inc. advocates for families affected by violence and provides counseling and grief support services for families when a loved one has been murdered. It offers anger management support, weekly group support, mentorship for adolescent girls, participatory defense groups, and cognitive skills and problem-solving training for incarcerated people.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

EMIR Healing Center 
(215) 848-4068
EMIR provides interactive workshops on violence, court accompaniment and school advocacy and assistance on applying for the Victims Compensation Assistance Program.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

Philadelphia Anti-drugs Anti-violence Network
(215) 940-0550
Philadelphia Anti-drugs Anti-violence Network provides intensive prevention services for people aged 10-17 who are at-risk or have discipline problems. They also offer a Community Crisis Intervention Program in which staff respond to neighborhood crises with mediation and resources.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

Philadelphia County Victim Services
(215) 686-8027
Philadelphia County Victim Services offers court accompaniment, parole hearing registration materials, transportation for people with a disability or who are over 60 years old and assistance for victims to submit a victim impact statement. In addition, it offers assistance on filing The Victims Compensation Assistance Program.
Area it serves: Philadelphia

Central Division Victim Services
(215) 763-3282   
Central Division Victim Services serves all types of crime victims with advocacy, assistance filing compensation claims, counseling, emergency financial assistance, and information and referral to other groups.
Area it serves: 6th, 9th and 22nd police district in North and Central Philadelphia. 

Northeast Victim Services
(215) 332-3888  
NEVS provides assistance on filing compensation claims, counseling, emergency financial assistance, information & referral.
Area it serves: Bridesburg, Burholme, Bustleton, Castor, Fox Chase, Frankford, Holmesburg, Lawncrest, Mayfair, Far Northeast, Oxford Circle, Rhawnhurst, Somerton, Tacony, Torresdale and Wissinoming.

Northwest Victim Services
(215) 438.4410
Northwest Victim Services offers advocacy service, assistance on filling compensation claims, counseling, emergency financial assistance and support groups.
Area it serves: 5th, 14th, 35th, and 39th police districts in Philadelphia.

Victim/Witness Services of South Philadelphia
(215) 551-3360
Victim/Witness Services of South Philadelphia (V/WSSP) offers informational and support services at preliminary hearings, short-term crisis counseling services, crime intervention, information on law enforcement agencies and referrals to social service agencies.
Area it serves: 1st, 3rd, and 17th police districts in South Philadelphia.

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