The city of lowell, MA police department (LPD) is the applicant agency submitting a grant proposal under category 1B: local applications (suburban area)

The LPD proposes to expand and enhance the city of lowells existing community opioid outreach program (CO-OP). The CO-OP was implemented in 2016 to TRY to connect persons in lowell, who recently overdosed, to services. The partners include LPD, lowell fire department, lowell health department, pridestar trinity EMS, and lowell house addiction treatment and recovery, INC. The purpose of the project is to meet the growing needs of those with substance use disorder (SUD) in the city of lowell. Project activities will include adding a recovery housing specialist and bilingual outreach recovery specialist to the CO-OP team. These positions will be essential to addressing the needs of homeless individuals with SUD and better serving individuals with SUD who speak english as a second language. The LPD is also proposing to provide financial assistance for transitional and recovery housing with recovery support services to individuals that qualify. Additionally, the department will continue to support the lowell health departments youth outreach specialist. This individual will assist youth and their families impacted by substance use and work closely with the recovery housing specialist to secure housing for homeless young adults (18-26) with SUD. The LPD is also proposing to partner with the university of massachusetts lowell to conduct an evaluation of the project to understand the effect the program has on the opioid epidemic in the city of lowell and the lives of those struggling with SUD and housing. Expected outcomes include securing transitional or recovery housing for 36 homeless individuals with SUD, increasing the number of individuals that access recovery services (i.e. youth and individuals that speak a different language), and increasing the number of individuals with SUD that make forward progress on stages of change. The proposed project will address the following allowable activities: expand law enforcement and first responder deflection program (80%) and provide transitional or recovery housing and peer recovery support services (6%). 14% of the budget will also be dedicated to program evaluation. A breakdown of the proposed budget is below. Additionally, please note that the LPD was awarded the BJA FY 19 comprehensive opioid abuse site-based program in the amount of $900,000 (2019-AR-BX-K005). This grant will end in september 2023.