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Community Support Resources

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Connect with experts in communities across the country to access resources and services for keeping your community safe, including security assessments, educational tools, and physical security enhancements.

Find ideas and best practices regarding a range of threats and challenges, including violence against K-12 schools, campuses, faith-based organizations, churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship, health care providers, and other infrastructure; bullying; substance abuse; domestic violence; race-based violence and hate crimes; active shooters; bomb threats; financial crimes; cybersecurity threats, and much more. 

Community support tools are available for educators, law enforcement, health care practitioners, behavioral and mental health professionals, faith-based organizations, affinity organizations, and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

Each set of resources below is searchable by keyword. You can also filter the results to see the resources most relevant to different stakeholder groups (key audience) and which department/agency/office provided the resource, as well as filter by subcategory.

All the information in the Prevention Resource Finder is government-owned or sponsored.

  • Violence Prevention Resources for Action

    A Prevention Resource for Action is a select group of strategies based on the best available evidence to prevent or reduce public health problems like violence. They can help improve the health and well-being of communities.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    Key Audience(s):
    General Public, Health Care, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:
  • DHS Resources to Support Campus Law Enforcement and Public Safety to Protect Against Targeted Violence

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), along with our partners at all levels of government, will continue to help Institutions of Higher Education, campus law enforcement, and campus public safety officials prepare for and respond to a range of public safety challenges, recognizing that DHS respects privacy, civil rights and civil liberties and will not interfere with activity protected by the First Amendment. Below are a variety of DHS resources that may be helpful to campus law enforcement and campus public safety officials when facing heightened threats of targeted violence. Other federal resources are also included.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Grant Funding Opportunities, Training Opportunities
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Education (ED), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), Office for Partnership and Engagement (OPE), Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
    Key Audience(s):
    K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities
    Last Updated:
  • DHS Law Enforcement Resources

    DHS is committed to ensuring every law enforcement agency - regardless of size, funding, or resources - has the tools and support necessary to carry out the work that is essential to maintaining our security. This Law Enforcement Resource Guide highlights many of the Department's threat resilience resources available, including training and grant opportunities.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Grant Funding Opportunities, Training Opportunities
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
    Key Audience(s):
    Law Enforcement
    Last Updated:
  • National Terrorism Advisory System

    The National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) is designed to communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the American public. All Americans share responsibility for the nation's security, and should always be aware of the heightened risk of terrorist attack in the United States and what they should do.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Public Awareness Campaigns
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
    Key Audience(s):
    General Public, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:
  • DHS Resources for Leaders of Faith-Based Communities, Organizations, and Institutions to Protect Against Targeted Violence

    This website includes a variety of DHS resources that may be helpful to leaders of faith-based communities, organizations, and institutions when facing heightened threats of targeted violence and terrorism.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Prevention and Preparedness Guidance, Targeted Violence and Terrorism
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Office for Partnership and Engagement (OPE)
    Key Audience(s):
    Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations
    Last Updated:
  • stopbullying.gov

    Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy. This federal government website is managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and includes information on bullying, cyberbullying, prevention, and resources.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Prevention and Preparedness Guidance, Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
    Key Audience(s):
    K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, General Public
    Last Updated:
  • Mitigating Harm from Violent Visual Content: CP3 Prevention Resource

    In the wake of an act of targeted violence or terrorism, individuals and communities may be exposed to violent images, videos, and other disturbing content. This Prevention Resource provides practical, evidence-based guidance to help protect communities, families, and individuals, while also decreasing the likelihood of violence. 

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Prevention and Preparedness Guidance
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3)
    Key Audience(s):
    K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, General Public, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services
    Last Updated:
  • Improving School Safety Through Bystander Reporting: A Toolkit for Strengthening K-12 Reporting Programs

    School safety reporting programs are designed to provide students and other community members with a trusted avenue for seeking help and reporting concerns when issues arise involving student wellness or safety. These systems facilitate early intervention when concerns are reported, thereby helping to prevent targeted violence and other negative outcomes in K-12 schools. In a combined effort to improve and encourage reporting, CISA’s School Safety Task Force and the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center have partnered to develop the K-12 Bystander Reporting Toolkit.  

    “Improving School Safety Through Bystander Reporting: A Toolkit for Strengthening K-12 Reporting Programs” offers simple strategies and guidance K-12 schools and school districts can use to implement and enhance safety reporting programs and encourage bystander reporting among students and other members of the school community. It is designed to help school leaders create tailored, customized approaches that meet the needs of their unique communities and is applicable to schools and school districts at various levels of maturity in their approach to reporting.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
    Key Audience(s):
    General Public, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services
    Last Updated:
  • Domestic Extremism: No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Disengagement from Extremism Activity or Beliefs, Study Finds

    National Institute of Justice (NIJ) supported research notes stark division in extremism disengagement pathways for persons with and without prison experience.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
    Key Audience(s):
    General Public, Law Enforcement
    Last Updated:
  • Research in Brief – Community Policing Strategies to Prevent Violent Extremism

    This report presents the findings and methodology of research that examined issues in the use of community policing strategies to prevent violent extremism.

    Categories:
    Community Support Resources, Targeted Violence and Terrorism
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
    Key Audience(s):
    General Public, Law Enforcement
    Last Updated:
IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY, CALL 9-1-1.

Do not report suspicious activity to the Department of Homeland Security. Instead, notify local law enforcement.