The Center for Community Safety is a community-based center of Winston-Salem State University that helps shape the way local communities respond to violence impacting residents. As a hub for decision-making on violence prevention, the Center spearheads the use of new approaches and draw upon new partners in addressing significant local public safety issues in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

The Center for Community Safety (CCS) is a permanent, full-time entity of  Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) that helps shape the way local communities respond to violence impacting residents. Established in 2001, CCS is a community-based center that identifies and analyzes community safety issues and pulls together new partners to develop appropriate responses.  CCS began as an outgrowth of Winston-Salem’s participation in the Department of Justice’s Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI) and has also been a key partner in helping shape the Project Safe Neighborhoods focus on strategic response and community partnerships. CCS manages the Weed & Seed initiative for Winston-Salem and is part of the Urban Institute’s National Reentry Mapping Network. 

Since its inception, CCS has been recognized both locally and nationally as a leader in sustaining and leveraging community-based initiatives, developing innovative projects, and as a training center for communities in strategic justice planning. The Center’s approach is to use its resources to support and build capacity of partner organizations rather than to perform direct services.