Oconee County

The Oconee County Sheriffs Office (OCSO) Located in Northwest South Carolina Requests $1,000,000 From Us Bureau of Justice Assistance Fy 2023 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program (category 1C: Competition Id C-bja- 2023-00019-PROD) to Implement and Deliver a Law Enforcement Led Diversion to Treatment Initiative in Oconee County (population of 78,607, Designated 100% Rural). Per the Objectives of Category 1, the Project Will Develop a Collaborative Comprehensive Local Response to the Countys Substance Use and Misuse Problem Through Synthesizing Grant Resources With Existing Practices and Personnel to Support Planned Activities Per Allowable Use of Funds to: 1) Develop a Law Enforcement Deflection and Diversion Program Through Enhanced Training and the Establishment of a Community Drop-off Center (21% of Budget); 2) Enhance Alternative-to-incarceration Treatment Program (11%); 3) Deliver Evidence-based Substance Use Disorder Treatment Including Mat, Counseling, and Connections With Certified Peer Support Specialists Both in the Detention Center and Through the Community Drop-off Center (11%); 4) Support Recovery by Providing Transitional Housing and Peer Support Services (14%); and 5) Embed a Treatment Coordinator Into Ocso to Screen for Substance Use Disorders, Provide Services and Referrals, and to Help Divert Individuals From the Criminal Justice System (22%). to Aid in Implementing This Plan, Recovery Community Stakeholders From the County, Including Law Enforcement Agencies, Community Behavioral and Mental Health Services, Addiction Services, and Hospital and Emergency Services Will Be Included on the Multidisciplinary Oconee Recovery Coordinating Council (ORCC) to Participate in Ongoing Meeting Sessions With the Project Team and Serve as a Permanent Standing Body With the Mission of Increasing Cooperation and Collaboration to Sustain Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Efforts (see Mous). the Project Will Address Issues Related to Racial Equity and the Removal of Barriers to Access and Opportunity for Communities That Have Been Historically Underserved, Marginalized, and Adversely Affected by Inequality Through Providing Impartial Policing Training for Law Enforcement and Treatment Services Targeted to Underserved Minority Communities . Additionally, There Will Be a Strong Research-practitioner Partnership With the Center for Criminal Justice and Social Research at Clemson University to Provide a Scientific Mixed Methods Program Evaluation to Provide Empirical Feedback for Program Improvement and Dissemination of Process and Outcome Findings to the Law Enforcement, and Research Communities.