Please join us for our monthly meetings where we discuss ways social service agencies are working on the issues surrounding youth development and gun violence prevention.
Thank you to everyone who has, and is, attending the community meetings. You are making a difference.
Upcoming meetings
When: June 13th at 9AM
Where: FHN Family Healthcare Center - Burchard Hills, Lower Level
1010 Fairway Drive Freeport 61032
When: July 11th at 9AM
Where: FHN Family Healthcare Center- Burchard Hills, Lower Level 1010 Fairway Drive Freeport 61032
What is R3?
R3 grants fund programs in Illinois communities that have been harmed by violence, excessive incarceration, and economic disinvestment.R3 grants fund programs in five areas:
- Civil Legal Aid
- Economic Development
- Reentry
- Violence Prevention
- Youth Development
The communities that are eligible for R3 funding were identified, in part, by their rates of gun injuries, child poverty, unemployment and incarceration. View this map for the eligible communities in the R3 zone. Nonprofit organizations, local governments, faith-based organizations, businesses, and other community or neighborhood associations were able to apply for grants individually or in a collaborative with other groups.
In 2022, the United Way of Northwest Illinois applied for and received an R3 grant from the state of Illinois. R3 Restore. Reinvest. Renew. grants fund programs in Illinois communities that have been harmed by violence, excessive incarceration, and economic disinvestment.
The communities that are eligible for R3 funding were identified, in part, by their rates of gun injuries, child poverty, unemployment, and incarceration.
The United Way of Northwest Illinois received a planning and capacity building R3 grant focused on the Freeport community. The goal of the grant is to identify community and programming needs related to gun violence prevention and develop a community needs assessment and plan to address these needs.
We are in phase two of the R3 Granting Process and appreciate all of the community involvement in developing the process and plan.
The Freeport Community Needs Assessment provides a comprehensive understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges facing the Freeport community. By identifying Freeport’s needs, priorities, and resources, we enable informed decision-making, strategic planning, and resource allocation that can improve the well-being of the community and its residents. Our intention is that this assessment and plan helps guide community development, allocate resources effectively, and ensure that services and programs meet the needs of the community in an equitable and sustainable manner.
The Freeport Community Plan framework includes three overarching priorities to address gun violence in Freeport: 1) Build Trust; 2) Invest in People; and 3) Invest in Place. The plan is a framework for what our community can focus on and includes a combination of strategies in these three focus areas which were identified at the Community Stakeholder Compression Planning Session on February 9, 2023. These focus areas were identified as a result of a comprehensive review and analysis of the primary and secondary data, which included 152 stakeholder interviews and surveys and covered topics including income and poverty, crime, education, health, housing, and more.
See the complete Needs Assessment here:
Together, United Way of Northwest Illinois the residents and leaders of Freeport, in partnership with the ICJIA, will embark on a concerted effort to understand the impact that violence and disinvestment have had on Freeport residents in and around the R3 Zones. If you are interested in being a part of the community conversations and planning process regarding gun violence prevention, RSVP to be included in the community conversations.