Shared Safety Community Forum: Engaging Community on Shared Safety

United Way of Santa Cruz County (UWSCC) is a non-profit working with a coalition of organizations in Santa Cruz County pooling efforts, fundraising, and support. UWSCC staffs the Youth Action Network, which serves youth and families, and facilitates the Community Education and Engagement Workgroup which serves survivors of crime and offenders. The social problem is that there are too few justice policies in the United States that align with the views of victims of crime. The agency problem is, too many survivors of crime in Santa Cruz County are not provided the proper services. The purpose of this project was to increase the community’s knowledge and awareness of the topic of Shared Safety. The forum was evaluated by a post-event survey distributed on a Google Forms file. The forum had a diverse turnout, and over 100 participants. UWSCC should continue the use of community forums to engage and educate