The belfast police department (BPD) in partnership with volunteers of america northern new england (VOA) a licensed substance use disorder & mental health agency proposes the belfast law enforcement…

The City of Belfast, Maine was awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and other Substances Use Program (CFDA 16.838). The grant funding will support the Belfast Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Expansion Project, which aims to expand upon current diversion and deflection efforts in Waldo and Knox Counties to address the overdose crisis and impacts of illicit opioids, stimulants, and other substances. The project will target 150 individuals who have encountered the criminal justice system and are presumed to have substance use disorder and/or co-occurring disorders. Key activities include co-response of substance use counselors with law enforcement, increased focus on engagement with case managers for connection to community-based resources, and efforts to divert and deflect the target population to reduce the burden on law enforcement. The award period is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

The belfast police department (BPD) in partnership with volunteers of america northern new england (VOA) a licensed substance use disorder & mental health agency proposes the belfast law enforcement assisted diversion (lead) expansion project which will expand upon current diversion and deflection efforts in waldo and knox counties, maine. Belfast-lead will employ the sequential intercept model (SIM) to drive the efforts, develop, implement, or expand comprehensive programs in response to the overdose crisis and impacts of illicit opioids, stimulants, or other substances. This project will target 150 men and women who have encountered the criminal justice system, with presumed substance use disorder (SUD) and/or CO-occurring disorders (COD). BPD and VOA, plan to evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts to identify gaps and execute interventions, by routinely meeting with a collaborative team to implement best practices across counties to help people experiencing SUD and COD to avoid direct interactions with law enforcement, deescalate crisis situations and resolve conflicts through referrals to community-based resources. The project includes CO-response of substance use counselors with law enforcement, utilization of lead to increase focus on engagement with case managers for connection to community-based resources, increasing public safety and diverting and deflection the target population to reduce the burden on law enforcement by the number of times they come in contact with law enforcement.