Burlington county has 469,167 residents and is the largest county in new jersey by area, spanning across 40 municipalities

The County of Burlington, New Jersey was awarded a $1,300,000 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (CFDA 16.838). The 3-year grant, effective October 1, 2024, will support the following key activities:

• Funding 24/7 peer recovery coach staffing to expand capacity for the Burlington County Jail population.
• Sustaining the "Straight to Treatment" self-referral pathway program in partnership with 10 local police departments.
• Expanding community outreach focused on harm-reduction, including referrals to treatment, housing, vaccines, testing, peer recovery services, and more.
• Implementing juvenile substance use prevention education programs at public and private schools, as well as community events.
• Developing improved data collection and analysis systems to enhance internal operations and contribute to national best practices on responding to the addiction crisis.

The grant aims to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to addressing substance use disorders across Burlington County, New Jersey.

The project will be implemented countywide. Funds will support peer recovery coach staffing for 24/7 operation 365 days per year for three years, while expanding capacity for the burlington county jail population; the straight to treatment (STT) self-referral pathway program, which will be sustained in partnership with ten local police departments; expanded community outreach with a focus on harm-reduction and xylazine wound treatment, including referrals to treatment, housing, vaccines, rapid testing, peer recovery services, personal identification cards, and more; and juvenile substance use prevention education (juvenile hope one) at public schools, private schools, and community events with a focus on at-risk youth. Working with an external evaluator, the county will develop improved systems for collecting and analyzing data to improve internal operations and decision making while contributing to the state and national body of best practices on responding to the addiction crisis.