D-LIVE

DLIVE is an intentional, health-centered solution to community violence — a public health crisis — in Detroit, MI. DLIVE has engaged and impacted more than 300 community violence survivors, and their work has resulted in a participant reinjury rate of fewer than 6% (compared to average rates of 44%).

The Problem
Despite a period of recent economic revitalization and recovery, Detroit, Michigan, continues to be plagued by a decades-long public health crisis: community violence (CV). CV is the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-34 in Detroit. A staggering 45% of those injured by CV will be re-injured within two to five years. This vicious cycle of violence, trauma, and poverty plagues Detroit’s youngest citizens and results in premature death and disability. For decades, CV has been a public health crisis without viable health-centered interventions or health equity strategies.

The Solution
Guided by a health equity and social justice lens, DLIVE transforms how community violence is addressed. Through their Health and Wellness Hub, Community Health Education Program, and Peer Leadership Training Program, DLIVE disrupts CV at a critical juncture in the cycle.

DLIVE’s Health and Wellness Hub provides direct service and transformative healing for young people emerging from a CV injury. DLIVE invites young people — often at the trauma center recovering from a CV injury — to become members of DLIVE and engage on a journey of support, healing, and transformation. DLIVE effectively catalyzes the transformation of trauma by working with their young people to develop and execute a customized, holistic, therapeutic plan with an emphasis on social drivers of health such as culturally responsive mental health therapy, housing support and stability, job opportunities, and select engagement opportunities. DLIVE also provides trauma-informed employment, educational, and emotional support to the member’s family (e.g., a member’s child, parent, or grandparent) and others within the member’s social network.

DLIVE’s Community Health Education Program serves to advance community health outcomes and literacy and fluency around complex trauma and mental health. DLIVE engages and empowers communities with a high Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) through education initiatives to mitigate Community Toxic Stress (i.e., the damaging effects on learning, behavior, and health across the lifespan that result from living in under-resourced communities). DLIVE’s sector-spanning partnerships (e.g., Walker-Miller Energy Services) serve as spaces whereby DLIVE can promote systems change while providing an on-ramp to barrier-free mental health support.

DLIVE’s Peer Leadership Training Program develops Transformative Agents: young adults empowered with the education and tools necessary to drive systems change at a regional and national level. After participating in a tailored education series that spans topics from trauma and brain development to mental health models, Transformative Agents are uniquely equipped to generate positive impact in their communities. By creating pathways that center and amplify the voices and narratives of youth and young adults, DLIVE’s Transformative Agents further the efforts of the Community Health Education Program across sectors.