City Seeks Proposals for Violence-Reduction Services
October 15, 2026, 5:15 p.m.

KNOXVILLE - The City of Knoxville has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking qualified community-based organizations to provide coordinated violence-reduction services for individuals and families at high risk of involvement in, or impact from, community-based violence.

"Investing in violence-reduction services helps create pathways to opportunity for Knoxville residents and supports safer, healthier neighborhoods," said LaKenya Middlebrook, Director of the Office of Community Safety and Empowerment. "These services play an important role in reaching the hardest-to-reach, high-risk individuals and address their immediate and long-term needs while strengthening our whole community."

Services are sought in five categories:

• hospital-linked intervention
• life coaching
• violence interruption
• emergency housing and/or relocation
• victim support and stabilization

While applicants may submit proposals for multiple service areas, they are encouraged to respond to only those areas in which they have extensive experience, staffing, partnerships and the capacity to successfully perform the work.

Since 2021, the Office of Community Safety and Empowerment has facilitated and overseen the City’s violence-intervention efforts, with partners such as the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) and the University of Maryland Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (VRC) providing training, technical assistance and implementation support to local organizations to help them have capacity to take on the work.

A pre-proposal conference for those interested in applying will be held Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., at the City’s Public Works Service Center, 3131 Morris Ave. Attendance is not mandatory, but potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend to familiarize themselves with the scope of services sought and requirements of participating in work funded by federal dollars.

Questions about the RFP should be directed to the Purchasing Division before Nov. 4, 2026. Proposals will be accepted online or by hard copy delivered to the Purchasing Division office by the deadline of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.

Review the full RFP, including a proposal questionnaire, evaluation criteria, City of Knoxville Community Based Violence Reduction Plan and Gun Violence Problem Analysis.

For more information about the City’s efforts to address and reduce community-based violence, please visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/CommunityEmpowerment.