Anonymous
Photo: A Crisis Intervention Team comprised of a Sheriff Deputy and a mental health provider interact with individuals who may have a mental illness or substance abuse (County of Santa Barbara)
Source: County of Santa Barbara
The Bureau of State and Community Corrections awarded Santa Barbara County nearly $6 million over three years from Prop 47 grant funding to provide mental health services, substance-use disorder treatment, and/or diversion programs for people in the criminal justice system. The award recognizes a significant collaborative effort between county stakeholders committed to preventing and reducing the incarceration of individuals with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
Led by the County’s Public Defender, Behavioral Wellness and the Sheriff’s Office, this funding will dedicate a full time co-response Crisis Intervention Team comprised of a Sheriff Deputy and a mental health provider for proactive and responsive community interventions, as well as develop Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion services to provide accessible mental health and substance abuse services for south county juvenile and adult residents with behavioral health needs.
The grant program also provides housing-related assistance and other community-based supportive services, including job skills training, case management and civil legal services. The County’s objective is to serve as many individuals as possible with the array of programs and services, and divert a minimum of 120 people out of the criminal justice system in Santa Barbara County.
The District Attorney, County Executive Office, Good Samaritan Shelter, Family Service Agency and the city of Goleta round out the list of participants in this initiative that will support immediate access to a sobering center, crisis and psychiatric services in lieu of arrest by law enforcement, crisis intervention team field activities, and step down housing.
“This grant reflects the ongoing collaboration efforts of our justice partners and community based organizations,” said Public Defender Tracy Macuga. “All programs that the grant will support are proven effective tools to divert the most vulnerable population away from our jails and re-direct them to meaningful treatment options.”
Alice Gleghorn, Director of Behavioral Wellness, added, “We are excited to launch this important collaborative initiative, providing effective interventions for some of our most vulnerable citizens in Santa Barbara County. The cooperation among all stakeholders will be key to the program’s success.”
The three-year grant will begin in August 2019 and include an evaluation component for an objective analysis of the impact of these services. Through mutual agreement, law enforcement officers involved in crisis intervention team work will be allowed to respond across county and city jurisdictions to provide seamless coverage for a minimum of 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday.
Let us know the total cost for this facility- and the government employee staffing requirements. Taxpayers want to know how much this “vagrancy” street addict situation is costing us and what are the upper limits when the world beats a path to this central coast shelter.