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Lane County accepts $825,000 Department of Justice grant to expand parole and probation mental health unit
Summary
The Board of Commissioners voted 5–0 to accept an $825,000 Department of Justice grant to expand mental-health care coordination in the county’s parole and probation program, including funding for outreach, training and a field van; the county delegated authority to the administrator to execute award documents.
Lane County on Feb. 4 accepted an $825,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to expand its parole-and-probation mental health unit, approving the award and delegating execution authority to the county administrator by a 5–0 vote.
Greg Rickoff, director of Community Justice and Rehabilitation Services, described the award as a partnership among parole and probation, behavioral health, the sheriff’s office and community partners. "This is a partnership right now between parole and probation, public health, behavioral health, the sheriff's office, and a number of partners to work on mental health collaboration for individuals coming out of the jail or coming out of prison," Rickoff said.
The grant totals $825,000 over three years and is designed to bolster a mental-health care coordination model the county already operates. Rickoff said the funds will support training, additional full-time equivalents in the mental health unit, and equipment including a van to take teams into the community to meet clients where they live. Parole-and-probation supervisor Kresha Brunson said the funding is intended to address three goals: identify clients who are missed in transitions, create a multidisciplinary care coordination model, and provide mobile outreach capacity so officers can meet clients who do not come to offices.
"These clients do not come to us — we need to come to them," Brunson said. "Being able to meet the needs so that we can address their needs or risks" is central to the model, she added.
The board approved an order to accept the grant, increase appropriations in the Special Revenue Fund by $300,000 for Community Justice and Rehabilitation Services, and delegate to the county administrator authority to sign award documents and subcontracts. The motion was moved by the vice chair and seconded; the board recorded a unanimous 5–0 vote to approve the order.
Why it matters: County staff said Lane County’s mental health unit is among the most extensive in Oregon for community corrections, and the grant supports outreach and supervision practices aimed at reducing recidivism by connecting people to services before crises occur.
Next steps: Staff will review any final grant conditions and begin implementation in the next fiscal year; the county administrator is authorized to execute award documents and any necessary subcontracts.
