The California Psychological Association (CPA) Foundation's California Healing Initiative (CHI) recognizes and financially supports existing programs, services or initiatives that have proven effective in preventing, reducing or ameliorating the effects of violence in the California’s inner cities.  The CPA Foundation presented the first CHI Award during the opening ceremony of the APA convention in San Francisco to the CLAER Project (Community Leadership and Emergency Response) of San Francisco). CLAER is a direct service program seeking to create social justice by empowering local leaders to increase the community’s capacity for positive change and ultimately break the cycle of violence plaguing their San Francisco neighborhoods. CLAER uses a peer model that provides immediate neighbor-to-neighbor outreach and support to individuals who have been touched, directly and indirectly, by violence. The CLAER team also refers residents to existing city and community services and offers numerous programs to develop community leaders from within their own communities.  More information at www.claerproject.org