People recently released from prison and recovering from addiction have different needs than most others. Someone who has been clean in prison for the past three years is not at all like someone who has been clean in the community for the past three years. Traditional treatment centers and the professional community, in general, have struggled with this niche population…with little success. While in2Action admits it has much to learn, we do believe we are doing some of the best work in the state. After all, this is all we do. In2Action is the only Department of Mental Health Certified Outpatient Treatment Program in central Missouri that specifically targets and serves only those people recently released from prison. And we are experiencing great success.
In2Action has recently opened the Reentry Opportunity Center (The ROC) which will provide innovative and comprehensive reentry services to adult men and women who have been recently released from jail/prison and are residing in Boone County. The ROC will serve as a one-stop resource center where people can access numerous services and providers under one roof. The ROC will combine a community center, the use of peers, a partnership with the Department of Corrections, and a collaboration of community partners to provide the best services possible to people returning to our community.
We need your help! From our beginning, in2Action has operated from a need-centered approach rather than a budget-centered approach. While many providers, for good reasons, start with their budget and decide what they can do with the money they have, in2Action has always looked first at what do our people need, then we figure out how to pay for it. The ROC is no exception; this is a much-needed resource in our community that will be wildly successful. This next year, however, will be very challenging with funding. Many funders want to see results before they buy-in. Until then we are seeking any and all the assistance we can get. If you want to support this effort you can donate through the secure portal on our website at www.in2action.org
The Community Center: Modeled after the Department of Mental Health-funded Recovery Community Centers elsewhere in the state, The ROC will have video games, TV’s, couches, a basketball net, and coffee and snacks to provide people wanting to do the right thing a place to hang out. It will be a place where people can feel comfortable, not be judged, and simply have a good time. It is expected over time a healthy “community” culture will be established which can. In and of itself be a game-changer for people trying to turn their lives around.
The use of peers: Research continues to pour in on the effectiveness of using peers to help people overcome behavioral health problems. The ROC will be staffed primarily with Certified Peer Specialists (CPS). These are individuals with “lived experience” who have been there and done that. The ROC will seek to hire people who have both an incarceration and addiction history. To become a CPS one must complete a live Department of Mental Health training where they learn how to use their life experience to help others through the transition process. After the training, the peer must pass a certification exam and receive ongoing continuing education annually to keep their credentials. 12-step programs long ago recognized “one addict helping another is without parallel.” The ROC plans to build upon this foundation by connecting people recently released from jail and prison with people who have successfully navigated these waters themselves.
Department of Corrections (DOC) partnership: The Department of Corrections has supported the development of The ROC since its inception. They are providing staff to help with implementation and planning, and they are helpful in assisting us to engage other state government partners. Most significant, however, is the willingness of DOC to go far outside their normal operating procedures and agree to make The ROC the Columbia/Boone County check-in site for people just released from prison. Historically – not only in Boone County but everywhere else in the state – people released from prison must report to the probation & parole office in the community they are returning to on the day of their release. This process ensures the DOC that the person they have released has made it from the prison gate to the community in which they reported they will live. The problem with this process is that people are almost always released with immediate and basic needs, and probation & parole is not set up to address these needs. Soon, everyone returning to the Columbia/Boone County will begin reporting to The ROC on the day of their release, rather than the parole office. Instead of signing a piece of paper and being given an appointment to come back in a week or so to meet their new officer, they will be greeted by a peer specialist who can give them a hug and say, “welcome home!” We can immediately begin to connect them to the services and resources they need to successfully and permanently transition back into our community as law-abiding and productive citizens and neighbors.
Collaboration of community partners: The ROC recognizes that Columbia has great providers doing wonderful work already. Rather than try to reinvent or duplicate any services, The ROC will partner with these agencies to provide their services at The ROC. The building will have six separate work stations. Each of these stations will be staffed during business hours. Providers will have scheduled times throughout the week/month to staff a station at The ROC. For example, Love, INC might be at The ROC on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings, and Job Point might be at The ROC on Tues/Thu afternoons. We already have over a dozen agencies that have signed agreements to provide these services and we have only just begun. The ROC will employ a Care Coordinator who will also be a peer specialist who will be cross-trained at all the providers. So, if someone comes in needing addiction services but there are no treatment providers on-site at the time, the Care Coordinator can reach out to the treatment providers we partner with and get them connected.
Veterans United Foundation: We would like to extend a sincere “shout-out” to the employees at Veterans United for their contributions to the Veteran United Foundation. We were surprised at our Grand Opening with the presentation of a check for $15,000 demonstrating their support of our efforts. Those at Veterans United understand that efforts like The ROC will absolutely reduce crime and victimization in our community. We are so grateful to have the support of the VU Foundation.
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