Criminal Justice RFP Decisions

Better Health Together (BHT) is excited to announce the final funding decisions for the $2,500,000 allocated for projects to address behavioral health access for individuals involved with criminal justice and early intervention and prevention with youth. See background & RFP here.

In all, BHT received ten letters of interest, six seeking funding for projects supporting adults, three for projects aiming to support youth, and one from our rural partners. BHT staff and a team of community evaluators reviewed each of the projects via Zoom panel and then gathered to review and score before deciding on the final funding recommendations. Of the ten projects, the panel recommended we move forward to a contract with eight.

We will be moving into contract conversations over the next couple of weeks and look forward to the amazing work each of these projects will bring to the community.

Projects

FOCUS: Adult

Revive Center for Returning Citizens - Helping those with institutional oversite with behavioral health needs by informing, educating, and empowering them to advocate for their own health needs.

Pioneer Human Services - Transforming our community’s response to individuals with acute behavioral health needs, diverting them from the jail or emergency room into crisis stabilization services equipped to meet their needs.

The Way to Justice - Reducing the justice system’s collateral burden of consequences for low-income and BIPOC community members by increasing their access to services and health equity.

The Freedom Project - Dismantling mass incarceration and healing its traumatic effects on our community by shifting from punishment to restoration and working to change our communities’ acceptance of social inequities for marginalized groups.

FOCUS: Rural

Pend Oreille County Counseling Services - Reducing incarcerations and recidivism by increasing access to care for individuals in the justice system who have behavioral health needs through expanded screenings, jail services, and enhanced diversion pathways.

FOCUS: Youth

Northeast Youth and Family Services - Providing more direct access to behavioral health services and resources for children ages 0-13 and their families to create more consistent classroom and home environments for kids.

Spokane Public Schools Behavioral Health Agency - Create a wrap-around approach to care for students receiving behavioral intervention (BI) services by working closely with students in need of behavioral services, their families, and school staff.

Northwest Credible Messenger - Build a community-level intervention strategy with families that will work beside youth and families as they build skills and social capital through the Positive Youth Justice methodology.