Subject:
Title
Program recommendation for the Criminal Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant submission.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the Public Safety Coordinating Council’s program recommendation for the Criminal Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse (CJMHSA) Reinvestment Grant submission of the Public Defender’s Road to Success program.
• The CJMHSA Reinvestment Grant program requires the oversight of a Planning Committee designated by the Board of County Commissioners (Board).
• In Pinellas County, the Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) was designated as the Planning Committee by the Board on October 16, 2007 to make program recommendations under CJMHSA.
• The PSCC is recommending submission of the Road to Success program for the competitive grant process. Working with Ready for Life, Inc., the program will serve 50 unduplicated, at-risk youth (ages 14 through 21) who have a mental health or substance abuse disorder and risk involvement with delinquency and dependency systems.
• Services will include assessments, treatment, case management, education, and other supportive services.
• The grant application request is for funding in an amount of $1,200,000.00 to be used over three years.
• There is no cash match.
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Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety and Welfare
2.2 Be a facilitator, convener, and purchaser of services for those in need
Summary:
With the release of a new CJMHSA Reinvestment Grant solicitation for funding, the PSCC released a competitive process which was posted online and emailed to community partners. Two submissions were received for consideration. On January 11, 2019, the PSCC agreed to recommend the program “Road to Success: An expansion of the Office of the Public Defender’s Pinellas County Crossover for Children’s Program.”
The grant application will focus on securing funding for juveniles and young adults whose cases cross over into both the dependency and delinquency courts and have a mental health diagnosis, substance use disorder, or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder. The project will offer an intensive diversion program to 50 unduplicated at-risk youth (ages 14 through 21) who have a mental health or substance abuse disorder and risk involvement with delinquency and dependency systems. (150 over 36 months) Services will include assessments, treatment, case management, education, and other supportive services. Anticipated outcomes include a decrease in recidivism, relapse, and risk factors/behavior. Additionally, the expansion of the crossover program should further improvements in education, transportation, employment, self-sufficiency, housing stability, overall health, and social connectedness.
Background Information:
The CJMHSA Reinvestment Grant Program was created by the 2007 Florida Legislature by s.394.656, F.S., and is housed within the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The purpose of the grant funding is for counties to plan, implement, or expand initiatives that increase public safety and avert increased spending on criminal and juvenile justice systems. Funds also go toward programs that improve the accessibility and effectiveness of treatment services for adults and juveniles who have a mental illness, substance abuse disorders, or both, who are in, or at risk of entering, the criminal or juvenile justice systems.
Fiscal Impact:
Funding in an amount not to exceed $400,000.00 per year for three years, for a total request of $1,200,000.00, is provided by the CJMHSA Reinvestment Grant. The Public Defender is responsible for providing the 100% local match. No cash match is required.
Staff Member Responsible:
Daisy Rodriguez, Director, Human Services
Partners:
Public Safety Coordinating Council
Office of the Public Defender, Sixth Judicial Circuit
Ready for Life, Inc.
Florida Department of Children and Families
Attachments:
Executive Summary Proposal
Request for Applications Solicitation