City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the Submission of a Grant Application for Expansion of the Alexandria Treatment Court ("ATC").
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ISSUE: Consideration of the submission of a grant application for expansion of the Alexandria Treatment Court ("ATC").
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Ratify a grant application, to the Bureau of Justice Assistance in the amount of $499,112 for the funds to expand the ATC; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The ATC launched a pilot program in the fall of 2019 aimed at diverting from conviction and incarceration, adults charged with felony offenses connected to substance use disorder. The ATC targets a "high-risk/high need" population, meaning individuals who have sufficient severity of substance use disorder that, without substantial treatment intervention, they are at high risk of criminal reoffending. Because the ATC does not have a dedicated source of funding, participating agencies agreed that ATC would accept no more than 5 to 10 participants during the pilot program, to ensure that individuals could be adequately served within existing agency budgets. If this grant is ratified, it would enable the ATC to triple its capacity, improve access to under-served populations, and improve the services that are offered to better comport with national best-practices.
DISCUSSION: The grant seeks $499,112 over a 36-month period, to be used in conjunction with repurposed and existing Department of Community and Human Services ("DCHS") grant
funds in the amount of $60,000 to accomplish the following spending objectives:
* Hiring an additional DCHS therapist that would work exclusively with ATC participants.
*...
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