SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Accept a 2016-2017 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount of $15,849 for a Mental Health Check Team Pilot program and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
The Resource Management Committee approved submission of a grant application for a $15,849 allocation under the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program for a Mental Health Check Team Pilot program. That grant is now awarded and CPD now seeks approval to accept it.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five Americans is affected by mental illness in a given year.
Clearwater Police Department (CPD) officers are often the first point of contact for individuals struggling with diagnosed and un-diagnosed mental health conditions in the City of Clearwater.
In many instances, officers encounter the same individuals time and time again. These encounters can become volatile at times, with the threat of harm to both the officer and the person in crisis.
In an effort to reduce the number of these law enforcement encounters that often end in arrest and connect these individuals with the appropriate mental health resources, CPD -- in partnership with Directions for Living (Directions) -- established the Mental Health Check Team (MHCT) project.
The overall goals of the Mental Health Check Team were to:
Reduce the number of law enforcement encounters with individuals suffering from mental illness.
Connect individuals suffering from mental illness with the appropriate mental health services.
CPD contracted with Directions for Living to provide the following services in conjunction with the Mental Health Check Team:
Provide a Mental Health Counselor to work in partnership with the Clearwater Police Department. (Schedule/Hours TBD)
Provide priority access to services to individuals who are being linked to services from the Mental Health Check Team.
Attend ongoing meetings with the Mental Health Check Team and/or Clearwater Police Department meetings as needed.
In May 2017, the Clearwater Police Department applied for an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to provide funding for Directions for Living services in the amount of $18,720. This amount was based upon an anticipated 288 hours of services provided by Directions for Living (12 clients seen twice per month for 12 months) at a rate of $65.00 per hour.
Due to unforeseen delays in the overall administration of these grants, the Clearwater Police Department was notified in September of 2018 that our agency had been approved for a grant award of $15,849.
There will be no direct adverse impact to the CPD annual operating budget nor is there a required match.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
These funds will be credited to special project 99329, Investigative Recovery Cost, upon receipt.