Healing Cities Initiative

The Healing Cities initiative aims to address the urgent challenges faced by city leaders from the compounded effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health crises, and long-standing social and economic inequities. The Healing Cities initiative recognizes trauma—stemming from both individual and community experiences—as a critical factor affecting health and wellbeing, necessitating a shift towards trauma-informed policies and practices. By partnering with local organizations, the initiative seeks to develop culturally relevant responses and enhance agency practices to support communities affected by systemic trauma.

Inspired by Baltimore’s Elijah Cummings Healing City Act (2021) and the subsequently developed Healing City Baltimore initiative, this effort emphasizes training in trauma-informed care for city agencies and the creation of programs such as Peer Navigators to help residents access health and social services. With the support of CCR, this initiative was expanded to Cincinnati, Ohio, where both community members and policymakers are actively working to establish a Healing Cities ecosystem. Cincinnati officials have collaborated with their counterparts in Baltimore to adapt relevant legislation, while community members are engaged in advocacy efforts to support its passage. The proposed legislation aims to incorporate training, an evaluation framework, and policy reviews to define the criteria for a trauma-informed city. Passage of this legislation is an important step in fostering long-term systems change by establishing that ‘trauma-informed’ as standard operating for city servants and the services provided to its citizens.