Lane County deflection program reports early results: 210 people referred since October launch; navigators and housing cited as key

Lane County officials on July 29 gave an update on the county’s deflection program — a law‑enforcement‑linked pathway that diverts people with suspected behavioral‑health or substance‑use needs away from booking and into treatment and housing resources. The county launched the program in October 2024 and has recorded 210 people entered into the program, 68 currently active participants and 16 successful completions, officials said.

Clint Riley, the county’s deflection program manager, described the field process. When an officer encounters a person who meets program eligibility — low‑level offenses, drug possession, trespass, disorderly conduct or situations where officers identify a treatment need even when no crime has been committed — officers may offer a deflection referral. “If the person agrees to go into deflection, law enforcement leaves, and the navigator takes it from there,” Riley said, describing a warm handoff to peer navigators who meet the person on scene or shortly afterward.

Riley and partners credited two contracted providers — Ideal Option and Revelry — for 24/7 peer navigators and for…