‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’: US violence prevention workers tell of burnout

Community workers say life on frontlines can be increasingly tough due to trauma, unpredictable hours and lack of funding

For the past 24 years, Jose Gomez has been on call at any hour.

Gomez works as a community violence interrupter in Stockton, California, focused on extracting high-risk youth from the cycles of violence in their own neighborhoods. Sometimes he's called to go to a hospital or a crime scene. Sometimes he's in the aftermath of a shooting to guide survivors and their families away from retaliation. Sometimes he mediates conflicts before they turn violent. Sometimes he helps clients find jobs, buy work attire, relocate, enroll in school, get a driver's license or talk through their problems.