Supportive Services for Women, Maya's Place

There currently exists a gap in eligibility for women in New Mexico who are justice involved, precariously housed, and have a mental health diagnoses but who are not considered high utilizers of emergencies services. Almost 100 percent of the women who meet these criteria who have entered a program at Crossroads for Women (CRFW) have experienced trauma, and roughly 80 percent of these women have experienced trauma that was violent in nature, as measured by intake assessments. CRFW proposes to fill this current gap by providing early intervention services through the Maya's Place therapeutic community (TC) program and supportive housing to women exiting Albuquerque Metropolitan Detention Center, who have been recommended through a diversion court who are not yet considered high utilizers of emergency services. Services would begin immediately upon acceptance into the program—while the woman is still incarcerated. Women in entering the program will receive intensive case management from incarceration to independent living, vocational, an addiction counselor, a family specialist, a vocational specialist, a clinician, and an array of support items such as clothing, food, housewares, and hygiene items. Once clients are released from MCD, they will begin a six month stay at the Maya's Place TC where they will have access to all the services mentioned. Once clients complete six months at the TC, they will begin a six-month supportive housing program which provides rental assistance along with the same wraparound services received during their stay at the TC. Once clients complete both the TC and supportive housing program, they will be permanently eligible for CRFW's aftercare program, Peer on Peer Support Services (POPPS), which provides access to a case manager, addiction counselors, support items, and a supportive community of current clients and alumni. CRFW believes that early intervention with women who are not yet considered high utilizers will disrupt the trajectory that often leads to high utilization. Our pilot program aims to provide evidence to this effect, and we propose work with the New Mexico Sentencing Commission to conduct a study of the program examining the effect of early intervention on women who meet the abovementioned criteria.