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Therapeutic court reports steady enrollment, $31,000 in grant support and four graduations this year
Summary
Court staff told the council the therapeutic/mental‑health court has five active participants, four graduations this year and has been awarded roughly $31,000 for next year with remaining funds pending approval; a resident testified about personal benefits from the program.
City staff and program administrators updated the council on the therapeutic (mental‑health) court’s activities and funding.
Sofia Lemacher, identified in the meeting as the program administrator, provided a condensed summary of metrics: five active participants, four graduations so far this year and continued focus on keeping the participant group small to maintain program effectiveness. She said the program had already secured approximately $31,000 in grant funds for the next year and was awaiting the remainder of a larger award.
A Chehalis resident and father of a graduate, Doug Burton, testified in detail about his family’s experience with the program, describing how court engagement led to improved outcomes for his daughter and citing the program’s value beyond quantifiable metrics. Doug Burton urged continued council support and noted that anecdotal benefits are important even where strict budget worksheets prefer numerical returns.
Council thanked program staff and the resident speaker and encouraged the program to continue reporting key metrics to the council as grant decisions are finalized.
