Justice Point submits $739,977 R Corp opioid-response grant to replace lost deflection funding

Becky, speaking for Justice Point, told the Sawyer County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on July 8 that her program submitted a Bridging Communities Opioid Response Impact ("R Corp") grant application on June 25 and completed the full upload the day before the meeting. She said the four-year request runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2030, and totals $739,977.

The Justice Point report included program statistics for June — 113 active pretrial cases, 26 referrals, 15 successful completions, and one unsuccessful completion — and described how the agency lost its earlier deflection funding. Becky said the R Corp grant, if funded, would cover services lost with deflection, expand peer navigator capacity, convert some jail screening to PSAs to reduce long-term costs and add three hours per week of mental-health-specific services for recovery court.

Becky listed letters of support included with the application from "Judge Smith," the sheriff's office leadership and the district attorney's office, and said the grant narrative in the meeting packet runs roughly 60 pages. She also said the R Corp opportunity required no local match. Becky told the committee applicants may hear decisions as late as Aug. 31 but that the funding term would begin Sept. 1 if awarded.

Committee members asked what would happen if the grant is not funded. Becky said Justice Point would continue operating on a much smaller "shoestring" budget and rely on community donations and volunteer staff; she described prior experiences in which applications were placed under review or funding streams ceased despite heavy preparatory work.

The council did not record a formal motion on the grant at the meeting; Becky said she would keep members informed of the outcome.

Ending: The council asked to be kept informed; no final award decision had been reported by the meeting's end.