Public Safety Receives a National Expansion of Recovery Corps Program Grant
P.A.A.R.I. (Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative) has received a $412,749 grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to launch a national expansion of its pioneering pilot program to embed AmeriCorps members in police departments to address the opioid epidemic. This grant will fund 17 full-time members to serve within police departments in nine states to help build, strengthen and sustain police-led programs to reduce and prevent overdose deaths and help more people with opioid use disorder get into treatment and recovery. The program is set to launch next month. Longmont Public Safety will receive one full-time staff member from this grant.
“The Longmont Department of Public Safety is thrilled to continue its partnership with P.A.A.R.I. through the National Recovery Corps. The Angel Initiative is a P.A.A.R.I. program that was launched at the beginning of 2017 that welcomes any member of our community that is struggling with substance use disorder to walk into the public safety building and ask for help. To date, 144 people have been connected to treatment through the Angel Initiative. The partnership with the National Recovery Corp will allow us to expand the capacity of the program and have a larger positive impact on our community.” Dan Eamon, Assistant Public Safety Chief, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Colorado.
“P.A.A.R.I.’s mission is to provide resources to help law enforcement agencies combat the opioid epidemic, and this revolutionary program will add significant capacity to our partners and utilize service as a solution to address critical community needs,” said Hunter. “We have seen tremendous results locally and are thrilled to announce the national expansion of our Recovery Corps program.”
If you are interested in applying for the Longmont Public Safety AmeriCorp position, please visit paariusa.org/recoverycorps.
“The opioid epidemic has left an indelible scar in communities across America. Addressing this crisis will take an all-hands-on-deck effort and everyone has a role to play,” said Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers the AmeriCorps program. “I’m proud that through this new partnership with P.A.A.R.I., AmeriCorps VISTA members can be a part of the solution.”
