Department
Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities
Requested Action (Identify appropriate Action or Motion, purpose, cost, timeframe, etc.)
title
Request approval of Subrecipient Award Agreements with the Atlanta/Fulton County Prearrest Diversion Initiative, Inc. (PAD) and Applied Research Services, Inc. (ARS) to fulfill a COSSUP Grant between Fulton County, on behalf of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) with Subrecipients for the grant award in the amount of $1,599,999.00 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The two agreements are with PAD in the amount of $564,093.00 to provide Diversion Services, and (b) ARS in the amount of $150,000.00 to provide data collection services for this grant. The County Attorney is authorized to approve the agreements as to form and make necessary changes thereto prior to execution. The agreements are effective upon BOC approval through September 30, 2025. The payment period for eligibility for payments from the grant utilized in funding these Agreements is effective for the duration of the eligibility period of the grant (October 1, 2023 through September 29, 2026), but shall not extend beyond September 30, 2025. This item is 100% grant funded. (APPROVED UPON ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA)
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Requirement for Board Action (Cite specific Board policy, statute or code requirement)
Official Code of Georgia Section 36-10-1: All official contracts entered by the County governing authority and with other persons on behalf of the County shall be in writing and entered in its minutes.
Strategic Priority Area related to this item (If yes, note strategic priority area below)
Health and Human Services
Commission Districts Affected
All Districts ☒
District 1 ☐
District 2 ☐
District 3 ☐
District 4 ☐
District 5 ☐
District 6 ☐
Is this a purchasing item?
No
Summary & Background (First sentence includes Agency recommendation. Provide an executive summary of the action that gives an overview of the relevant details for the item.)
Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Disabilities (DBHDD) in partnership with the Atlanta/Fulton County Prearrest Diversion Initiative, Inc. (PAD) propose the Fulton County Diversion and Deflection Recovery Program (FDR) to respond to substance use, promote public safety, and support access to Substance Use Disorders (SUD) treatment and recovery services for individuals in Fulton County, GA. This FDR proposal builds upon the successes of DBHDD’s FY20 COSSAP to expand to Fulton County’s most underserved areas and increase deflection and diversion across the county. The proposed FDR program will: (i) provide training to new law enforcement officers and ongoing quarterly professional development for existing officers to promote diversion to The Center, expanding to several precincts within Fulton County; (ii) provide intensive care navigation for at least 425 diverted participants and increased access to recovery housing for those in need; (iii) provide evidence-based mobile behavioral health services to diverted individuals in recovery housing; and (iv) conduct deflection outreach to targeted areas of high crime and high usage in North and South Fulton to connect individuals with needed SUD services before they reach involvement with the criminal justice system.
Scope of Work: Deflection. A DBHDD FDR mobile team will be responsible for conducting targeted outreach throughout Fulton County to deflect individuals experiencing homelessness and/or with SUD/COD before they reach justice system involvement. The mobile team consists of 1.0 FTE Social Services Program Manager, 1.0 FTE Behavioral Health Clinician, and 2.0 Peer Support Specialists and will contact at least 250 people in Year 1 and 350 in Years 2 and 3, resulting in at least 600 total contacts. Based upon analysis of the Overdose Detection Map (ODMAP)22 and drug-related crimes within Fulton County, the mobile team will focus its outreach efforts in North Fulton - Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Johns Creek zip codes 30076, 30022, 30328, and 30350; Central Fulton - Bankhead, Vine City, West End, Lakewood, English Avenue zip codes 30318, 30314, 30315, 30310, and 30311; and South Fulton - East Point, Sandtown, College Park zip codes 30349, 30331, and 30344. DBHDD anticipates this outreach will lead to approximately 10 FDR enrollments per month including recovery housing and SUD treatment with DBHDD (see activity #4 for additional information about DBHDD’s behavioral health services). Diversion. The Center is centrally located and will be available 24/7/365 beginning in the Spring 2024. Initially, The Center will prioritize diversions by the top arresting agencies in Fulton County, with the goal of providing a drop-off location for use by any Fulton County police officer, regardless of jurisdiction ranging from North to South Fulton County and across all 15 cities. PAD will coordinate with the Atlanta Police Department and other top arresting agencies in Fulton County to engage law enforcement through focus groups, tours of The Center, and diversion protocol training to develop a train-the trainer strategy for new law enforcement recruits and to provide ongoing quarterly refresher training as The Center gains traction. This training covers diversion protocols, harm reduction, and barriers faced by people experiencing mental health or substance use needs. In addition to formal training, PAD engages officers at roll call visits on a weekly basis. PAD will accept referrals from The Center and provide an initial needs assessment, the Coordinated Entry housing assessment, intensive case management, linkages to community-based behavioral health supports, referrals for recovery housing, municipal IDs, benefits enrollment, legal aid, and additional support as needed.
Community Impact: Fulton County, through DBHDD desires to continue providing shared resources for support and coordination of pre-arrest diversion services for adult participants.
Department Recommendation: DBHDD recommends the approval of these two COSSUP Grant Subrecipient Agreements
Project Implications: Policing and Alternatives and Diversion Initiative(PAD) will assist all stakeholders with the implementation and operation of the Atlanta/Fulton County Policing and Alternatives and Diversion Initiative as described in paragraph 1.5 of the agreements.
Community Issues/Concerns: None
Department Issues/Concerns: None
Fiscal Impact / Funding Source
Funding Line 1:
461 755 COS1