CHICAGO (WLS) — Tuesday marks a year since the beginning of a program designed to cut down on violence in Chicago.

The program is called Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago, or SC2.

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Tuesday, local leaders and advocates marked the one-year anniversary of the effort they say so far has been a success.

The ambitious program targets several South and West side communities: where people are most at-risk to experience gun violence.

Funded by a $400 million public-private partnership to expand violence intervention, community violence intervention groups work together to stem the tide of gun violence.

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According to an ABC7 Chicago data team analysis using numbers from the Chicago Police Department, the number of shooting victims in the past 12 months stands at 2,225. That’s a nearly 28% decrease from the average of the prior three years.

Deadly shootings are down 25% in the last 12 months, and non-fatal shooting are down more than 28%.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the initiative is working.

“So, it’s policing and affordable housing, policing and mental and behavioral health services,” Mayor Johnson said. “We have 29,000 young people that will have summer jobs this summer: a 45 percent increase. But it is also working with every single level of government whether it is the state, Cook County government, that full force approach that has been missing for a long time.”

Elected officials, along with anti-violence advocates and community supporters, gathered to talk about declines in gun violence in the city and next steps for the program Tuesday.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Johnson were among them.

This is a developing story; check back with ABC7 Chicago for updates.

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