Category: Violence Prevention

Earlier this month, we celebrated our team’s participation — now we’re proud to join the City of Joliet in recognizing the full graduating class of the first Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program!

Congratulations to the 28 community members who completed this 9-week, 27-hour disaster preparedness course coordinated by the City’s Office of Emergency and Disaster Management.

Special shoutout again to LeShae Hudson, Community Convener, and Magdalena Campos, Community Liaison/Organizer with Joliet Township’s Community Violence Intervention (CVI) team, who were among those honored at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

The training covered:

• Fire safety
• Medical response
• Weather spotting
• Disaster mental health
• Light search and rescue
• And more

The next FREE CERT class begins June 10, 2025, with a Saturday session on June 14.

Register at: www.joliet.gov/cert

A principios de este mes, celebramos la participación de nuestro equipo — ahora nos enorgullece unirnos a la Ciudad de Joliet para reconocer a toda la primera clase graduada del programa de Respuesta Comunitaria a Emergencias (CERT, por sus siglas en inglés).

¡Felicidades a los 28 miembros de la comunidad que completaron este curso gratuito de preparación para emergencias de 9 semanas y 27 horas, coordinado por la Oficina de Manejo de Emergencias y Desastres de la ciudad!

Un reconocimiento especial nuevamente a LeShae Hudson, Coordinadora Comunitaria, y Magdalena Campos, Enlace/Organizadora Comunitaria del equipo de Intervención contra la Violencia Comunitaria (CVI) del Municipio de Joliet, quienes fueron honradas durante la reunión del Concejo Municipal el martes por la noche.

La capacitación incluyó:

• Seguridad contra incendios

• Respuesta médica

• Observación de condiciones climáticas severas

• Salud mental en situaciones de desastre

• Búsqueda y rescate ligero

• Y más

La próxima clase GRATUITA de CERT comenzará el 10 de junio de 2025, con una sesión adicional el sábado 14 de junio.

Inscripciones disponibles en: www.joliet.gov/cert

JOLIET, IL – March 12, 2025 – Joliet Township Government and Illinois Youth and Family Services (IYFS) have provided Community Violence Intervention (CVI) services since 2023. Now partnering, they ensure families and former CVI clients maintain access to case management, advocacy, outreach, and interventions. This collaboration strengthens violence prevention, behavioral health, and community engagement. 

In February 2025, the state selected IYFS as the regional CVI services provider, ending Joliet Township’s CVI Services (also known as Peace Over Violence program) at the Mitchell Center. While IYFS now leads intervention efforts, Joliet Township continues its commitment to violence prevention through its CVI Community Convener and CVI Behavioral Health programs. 

“At IYFS, we are honored to continue serving Joliet-area residents with essential violence prevention and intervention services,” said Dr. Nauteia Brass, CEO of Illinois Youth and Family Services. “By partnering with Joliet Township, we are ensuring a seamless transfer of all Joliet Township Government’s CVI clients, guaranteeing uninterrupted services and continuous support for individuals and families affected by violence.” 

“Violence prevention is a shared responsibility, and real change happens when we work together,” said Alicia Morales, Supervisor of Joliet Township. “Joliet Township Government remains committed to strengthening partnerships and ensuring residents have access to critical resources. By working alongside IYFS, we are reinforcing our commitment to a safer, healthier, and more resilient community.” 

Joliet Township continues leading violence prevention through the CVI Community Convener and CVI Behavioral Health programs. Led by LeShae Hudson, the Community Convener unites organizations and stakeholders to develop community safety action plans. CVI Behavioral Health is expanding mental health services, recruiting therapists to meet growing demand, especially among youth ages 6-24. In 2024, 76 young people received therapy, and 346 residents attended trauma awareness workshops. 

Together, Joliet Township Government and IYFS remain committed to strengthening community safety, healing, and resilience. By maximizing resources and expanding service access, this partnership ensures continued support for those most in need. For more information about ongoing services or to learn more about the partnership, visit the IYFS website and Joliet Township Government’s CVI webpage.

JOLIET, IL – Dec. 9, 2024. Joliet Township Government is proud to announce that LeShae Hudson, MHS, Violence Prevention Council Coordinator (VPCC), will receive the 2024 Empowered Person Empowerment Award at the Community Stakeholders Holiday Breakfast. The event, hosted by Empowered People Church and the Empowerment Center, will take place on December 12, 2024, at the Empowerment Center in Park Forest. This celebration honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the Southland community. The Empowerment Center provides vital services to strengthen the community, offering resources related to violence prevention, mental health, youth development, and more. 

LeShae is recognized for her exceptional efforts in building partnerships with the Greater Illinois Violence Prevention organizations. As VPCC for Joliet Township, she has led initiatives like the Racial Equity Impact Assessment League (REIAL), Municipality Tours, and Reimagine Village. 

In addition to this upcoming recognition, LeShae was awarded the Collaborative Excellence in Prevention Award by Prevention First in September 2024. This award acknowledged her leadership and efforts to foster collaboration across organizations working to reduce gun violence and improve community health. 

In response to the January 2024 Romeo Nance incident, LeShae mobilized the coalition to provide critical services and created the Emergency Response Protocol, which helps organizations work together during gun violence incidents. LeShae also coordinates Municipality Tours, where Illinois communities share best practices in violence prevention, and through Reimagine Village, she meets with fellow VPCCs to collaborate across municipalities. 

“An honor should never be received as ‘I’, but always as ‘US’ and ‘WE’!” said LeShae. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of the many partners who are committed to making our communities safer and more resilient. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made through collaboration and look forward to continuing our efforts to prevent gun violence across Illinois.” 

The 2024 Empowered Person Empowerment Award recognizes LeShae’s leadership in creating lasting partnerships to reduce gun violence and improve community safety. 

For more information about Joliet Township Government’s efforts, visit Joliet Township CVI Council. 

Join us in congratulating the Joliet Township Government’s Violence Prevention Council Coordinator LeShae Hudson, MHS, and the Racial Equity Impact Assess League (REIAL) for winning the Collaborative Excellence in Prevention Award by Prevention First. The award will be presented at Prevention First’s Connections in Prevention Conference on September 26-27 at the Marriott Chicago Naperville.

According to Prevention First: “The Joliet Township Violence Prevention Council has been honored as one of our Collaborative Excellence in Prevention awardees for its work on the Racial Equity Impact Assessment League (R.E.I.A.L.). Under the leadership of LeShae Hudson, the R.E.I.A.L. has made an extraordinary impact across the State of Illinois, playing a vital role as one of the Greater Illinois Violence Prevention Council Coordinators under the Reimagine Public Safety Act. Their mission is to reduce gun violence in Joliet and surrounding communities by fostering collaboration among organizations focused on gun prevention, mental health, and youth development.

In just its first year, The R.E.I.A.L. brought together over 20 organizations that had previously worked in silos, creating a powerful alliance for change. This collaboration was put to the test following the tragic January 2024 incident involving Romeo Nance, where The R.E.I.A.L. swiftly responded by mobilizing their coalition to provide critical services—ranging from mental health support to funeral services—for the affected community. This tragedy also led to the creation of the “Emergency Response Protocol,” a new process that unites organizations to respond rapidly and efficiently to gun violence incidents.

The R.E.I.A.L.’s groundbreaking strategies and commitment to sharing best practices have garnered statewide attention, including from the UIC Gun Violence Consortium. Their efforts to mentor other communities in gun violence prevention, in partnership with the Office of Firearm Violence, have sparked changes in municipalities across Illinois. The R.E.I.A.L.’s willingness to share knowledge and strategies has created a ripple effect, giving other communities the tools to reduce gun violence through collaborative action.

Congratulations to The R.E.I.A.L. for their incredible work and for leading the charge in creating safer communities across Illinois!”