The Safer, Stronger DC Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) was created by the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act of 2015 – which was passed by the Council of the District of Columbia in March 2016. The creation of ONSE serves to help reduce gun violence in the District while assisting families with the grief and trauma that result from these incidents. The ONSE also consolidated the work of the Safer, Stronger DC Community Partnerships Office and the Community Stabilization Program under one mission.
In October 2017, ONSE opened its headquarters office at 100 42nd Street, NE in Ward 7. In 2018, it launched its first Pathways Cohort Class in partnership with Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency of DC, the DC Department of Employment Services, and the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, and issued its first Violence Intervention contracts to three community-based organizations A satellite office was opened in March 2024, located at 3400 9th Street, NE in Ward 5, to best support the Pathways Program, which has grown in positive community support and impact. Nearly 400 young men aged 18-35 have participated in the ONSE Pathways Program.
Our Mission
The mission of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement is to build partnerships and implement strategies that reduce gun-related violence in the District. ONSE fulfills this mission by coordinating the District’s gun violence prevention and intervention initiatives, using both public health and public safety tools, and by focusing on identifying and engaging with those most likely to be involved in gun violence, providing them with an alternative to crime.
Our Story
The ONSE was established by Mayor Muriel Bowser as part of the city's broader effort to address gun violence and public safety through community-based interventions rather than strictly relying on law enforcement. The creation of ONSE was a response to a growing recognition that traditional policing alone was not sufficient to address the root causes of violence, particularly in underserved communities.
The ONSE approach to gun violence reduction and supporting safer communities focuses on engaging residents and providing services designed to prevent violence. It focuses on community-based strategies that emphasize public health approaches, violence interruption, conflict resolution, and support for high-risk individuals.
Key Initiatives
ONSE represents a shift in how cities like Washington, DC, address public safety by emphasizing prevention, intervention, and community engagement as critical components of violence reduction efforts.
1. Pathways Program
2. Violence Intervention Initiative
3. OLA - School Based Initiative
4. Family and Survivor Support
The NEAR Act
The NEAR Act comprises 20 different provisions covering a wide range of public safety initiatives designed to reduce violent crime, reform criminal justice provisions, and improve community police relations. To reduce crime, the NEAR Act seeks to use a public health approach to violence prevention and reduced incarceration. The NEAR Act was fully funded by Mayor Bowser in the Fiscal Year 2018 budget. To learn more about the NEAR Act, click here B21-0360 - Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act of 2015 (dccouncil.gov)