2025 PHPS Community Impact Report
An Initiative with Solutions
Public Health for Public Safety Overview
Public Health for Public Safety (PHPS) is a community-centered initiative focused on healing and transformation in marginalized communities.
- Founded in 2019 to address generational trauma in over-policed areas.
- Operates on a public health-driven safety model, emphasizing community well-being over punitive measures.
- Engages marginalized groups through restorative and transformative approaches.
- Aims to amplify community voices and narratives to shape solutions.
Community Leadership Team Composition
The PHPS Community Leadership Team consists of diverse leaders committed to community empowerment and systemic change.
- Team members bring unique skills and lived experiences to engage marginalized demographics.
- Focus on addressing root causes of violence, recidivism, and economic disparities.
- Emphasizes collaboration and adaptive leadership to foster sustainable change.
Historical Context and Evolution of PHPS
PHPS evolved from addressing recidivism to tackling systemic issues of trauma and violence in communities.
- Initial focus on recidivism led to the discovery of deeper issues related to generational trauma.
- Expanded efforts to include mental health support and community healing initiatives.
- Development of the Active Collective Trauma (ACT) Summit to foster dialogue and healing.
Active Collective Trauma Summit Initiatives
The ACT Summit serves as a platform for collective healing and community engagement.
- Four annual summits held from 2020 to 2024, engaging over 500 community members.
- Themes include healing justice, youth leadership, and environmental justice.
- Integrated cultural healing modalities such as storytelling and art.
- Participants reported increased connection, hope, and empowerment.
Community-Driven Research
Data That Creates Change
The Public Health for Public Safety Community Leadership Team chose to design a community survey as a follow-up to the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition’s Victims Speak Report to further understand particular findings within that report. The Leadership Team sought to better understand:
• What motivates people to report or not report a crime or crimes that they have experienced?
• What are the experiences of those that have reported a crime or crimes?
• What are the experiences of those that have interacted with the criminal legal system?
• What is the community perception of law enforcement?
The survey was distributed over a period of 12 weeks between November 24, 2019 through February 14, 2020. Leadership Team members distributed the survey through social media, email, text message, flyers with a QR code, and organized in person group events. A total of 240 responses were collected over the twelve week period. Unless otherwise cited the findings in this report reflect findings from the survey. At the end of this report a full description of the survey methodology can be found.
Key Findings of the PHPS Crime Survivors Research Report
• Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by violent crime¹
• A third of victims do not report the crime to law enforcement¹
• Victimization, especially repeat victimization, can lead to significant trauma, but few receive the services or treatment they need to heal and recover¹
• Across all racial demographics crime survivors believe the criminal legal system treats People of Color
differently, whether they are the accused or are the victim of a crime¹
• By a wide margin crime survivors across demographics believe that prevention, education, treatment, and rehabilitation improve public safety more than incarceration¹