Advantage behavioral health systems in partnership with the unified government of athens-clarke county treatment and accountability court propose to implement the collaborative approach to…

This $1,000,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.585 - Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program) will enable Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, in partnership with the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, to implement the Collaborative Approach to Resiliency and Empowerment (CARE) program. This initiative aims to enhance the existing Treatment and Accountability Court (TAC) by: 1) expanding TAC capacity to serve more high-risk, high-need repeat offenders; 2) enhancing treatment and recovery support services to improve program retention and graduation rates; and 3) incorporating short- to medium-term housing supports to address housing instability as a barrier to program entry. The program will operate within the Western Judicial Circuit region centered in Athens, Georgia, and seeks to provide a more proactive and sustainable response to the growing prevalence of individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health disorders, and frequent encounters with the local justice system.

Advantage behavioral health systems in partnership with the unified government of athens-clarke county treatment and accountability court propose to implement the collaborative approach to resiliency and empowerment program as an enhancement to existing treatment court activities. This initiative will incorporate three key areas of focus meant to address the prevalence of high risk/high need individuals with frequent encounters within the local judiciary system. These areas include expand existing treatment court capacity to allow for greater access for high risk/need repeat offenders; enhance treatment and recovery support services to promote program retention and successful graduation rates; and incorporate short and medium-term housing supports for court program applicants experiencing housing instability as a barrier to program entry. This expansion will occur within the geographic region of the western judicial circuit, centered within athens, georgia. Dramatic increases in local justice system involvement among individuals experiencing homelessness exhibiting behavioral health and substance use disorders have illustrated a need for a more proactive and sustainable response to this issue. To respond to this issue, the proposal highlights the following goals and activities: build and maximize the capacity of treatment and accountability court (TAC) to ensure that high risk offenders are identified, appropriately screened, and assessed for risk and need as well as CO-occurring substance abuse and mental health needs; ensure that all substance abusing offenders receive targeted research-based and data-driven services; enhance the provision of recovery support services that prevent recidivism such as short to medium term housing support, individualized treatment, vocational and educational services, and community reintegration services to achieve long term recovery; and track court performance for the purpose of evaluating program effectiveness and collecting vital program data in order to enhance program sustainability and gather additional community support.