Committee forwards treatment‑court grant requiring $43,333 county match to county board

The Richland County Health and Human Services Committee on Sept. 4 approved forwarding a Treatment and Alternatives to Diversion (TAD) grant application to the county board. The grant totals $173,333 and requires a county match of $43,333, staff said.

HHS staff described the county's collaboration with local stakeholders — including law enforcement, courts and the district attorney's office — on treatment‑court programs since 2017. The county operates two treatment courts: a sobriety court for alcohol‑related offenses and a drug court for substance‑use offenses.

Staff said $36,351 of the county match is counted as in‑kind contributions — existing salaries and time already paid by the county for participants such as a sheriff's deputy on the treatment support team, a victim‑witness representative, and HHS staff time.

A committee motion to forward the grant application to the county board carried; the meeting transcript records the committee moved the item forward but does not show a roll‑call tally.

Why it matters: The grant funds evidence‑based treatment courts designed to reduce recidivism by keeping eligible participants in community‑based treatment and supervision rather than incarceration. County in‑kind match means existing staff time and budgets contribute to the required local share.

The county board will consider accepting the grant and the matching plan in its upcoming meeting.