Title
Joint resolution authorizing the acceptance of a Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program: Support for Mental Health Centers grant awarded to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office (LCSAO) by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), for a 23-hour Crisis Triage Stabilization Center (Center), including an emergency appropriation of $750,000 in federal funds.
Staff Summary
• The LCSAO has been awarded a Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program: Support of Mental Health Centers grant through the U.S. DOJ, OJP, BJA for a Crisis Triage Stabilization Center. It is a joint project between the LCSAO and Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, NFP (Nicasa),
• The 23-hour premier Center is a cross-system partnership between the LCSAO, Nicasa, Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), 46 municipal police agencies, and behavioral health treatment and service providers.
• Grant funds will provide prearrest diversion to include a free-standing facility for police drop-off of low-level offenders experiencing mental illness (MI) or mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse (CMISA) to be screened, assessed, and receive referrals to treatment and services. The Center will provide an additional safe resource rather than the alternative, transport of these individuals to jail or an Emergency Department.
• The Lake County Opioid Initiative (LCOI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose Board approved purchasing the Center’s physical building from cash donations and local grant funds, is part of this cross-system collaboration.
• This Project will improve public safety responses and outcomes for individuals with MI or CMISA who come into contact with law enforcement. It will reduce recidivism by addressing individuals’ criminogenic needs and deflect them from further intrusion into the criminal justice system.
• The grant term is for three years, starting October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2023.
• During the planning phase, Lake County will tour and network with an existing crisis/triage facility, complete policies and protocols, memorandum of understandings, train law enforcement officers on the center’s drop-off process, and purchase the building (leveraging previous cash donations and other grant funds). During implementation, the grant will fund the project coordinator, clinical director, and counselor salaries.
• This cross-system planning collaboration to open the crisis triage center resulted from examining existing county resources and gaps. Over 70 community members and stakeholders participated in a crisis center visioning session in April 2019. Thereafter, a core team worked on the center’s sustainability to identify three-year operational costs and to plan for funding after grant periods. The LCOI Board and its Sustainability Sub-Committee will oversee funding the Center after the grant period.
• The Center will leverage existing Lake County treatment and service provider resources, peer recovery specialists, crisis hotline, LCSO and Lake County Health Department Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST) and LCSO law enforcement Crisis Intervention Team training.
• Program funding of $1,057,333 includes $750,000 of federal grant funding for project director, project coordinator, clinical director, and counselor personnel expenses, and other project expenses including travel, supplies and other costs.
• Additional in-kind match funding of $307,333 includes previous cash donations and leveraging of other non-federally funded staff, including the Safety and Justice High-Utilizer MacArthur Foundation grant funded staff and partner agency non-federally funded staff. No new county funds are required.
Body
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), has awarded the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, working jointly with Nicasa, with a Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program: Support for Mental Health Centers grant in the amount of $750,000 for a 23-hour Crisis Triage Stabilization Center; and
WHEREAS, the grant term is for three years, starting October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2023; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office will use the $750,000 for project director, project coordinator, clinical director, and counselor personnel expenses, and other project expenses including travel, supplies and other costs; and
WHEREAS, the Justice and Mental Health grant is in the amount of $750,000 and it is necessary to appropriate this amount; and
WHEREAS, the State’s Attorney’s Office recommends that the Chairman of the County Board, the State’s Attorney and the Treasurer be authorized to execute the necessary documents accept and execute the grant.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by this County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that the acceptance and execution of a Justice and Mental Health grant for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, for the period of October 1,2020 through September 30, 2023, is hereby authorized; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an emergency appropriation in the amount of $750,000 is hereby authorized for the Justice and Mental Health grant 23-hour Crisis Triage Stabilization Center program in expenditure and revenue accounts to be determined by the controller; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the State’s Attorney shall serve as project director for the program, and accurate records of all necessary grant compliance requirements shall be kept by the State’s Attorney Office; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chairman of the Board, the Lake County State’s Attorney, and the Lake County Treasurer are hereby authorized to execute the necessary documentation in order to accept the grant award.
DATED, at Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois, on November 10, 2020.