The City of Springfield was awarded a $1,300,000 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Other Substances Use Program (CFDA 16.838). The grant will fund a 3-year initiative to increase access to substance use treatment and services for homeless and justice-involved individuals in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The key components of the initiative include: 1) establishing a multidisciplinary homeless outreach team with a behavioral health clinician and police officers, and 2) placing a behavioral health clinician in the Springfield District Court for arraignment sessions. The project will also fund a new community care coordinator position to enhance coordination between partners and service providers. Through these interventions, the initiative will engage unsheltered homeless individuals and those at the pre-disposition/arraignment stage, referring and connecting them to substance use treatment, peer support programs, and housing assistance as needed. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst Department of Public Health will conduct process and outcome evaluations for the project.
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