Diversionary Employment: Supported Employment and Peer Recovery Navigation in Baltimore City

The Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) proposes to implement Diversionary Employment: Supported Employment and Peer Recovery Navigation in Baltimore City. The purpose of the program is to better serve people impacted by substance use disorder and to complement the re-entry options currently available to Baltimore City residents. The program would add a peer recovery specialist (PRS) to MOED's existing career center services and establish an in-house, intensive supported employment program tailored for this population.

MOED manages two American Job Centers, along with a network of community job hubs, that co-locate dozens of human services in addition to providing career development and employment navigation support.  Embedding a trained peer recovery specialist with their own lived recovery experience in this system will provide guidance to residents with SUD trying to navigate services and support to MOED staff in other service areas whose clients have substance use disorders. The PRS  will strengthen existing relationships with recovery centers, and work with re-entry programs to mitigate and prevent SUD-affected individuals’ ongoing involvement with the justice system.

Supported employment is an evidence-based employment intervention for adults with behavioral health disorders that has demonstrated promise as a model for individuals in recovery. The program recognizes employment as a stabilizing force for this population and provides targeted job development and intensive, ongoing employment retention support along with integrated mental health services. MOED will implement this program in partnership with specialists, who will provide supportive employment training, ongoing consultations with staff service providers, and periodic fidelity reviews. The program will be evaluated by a team with expertise in the supported employment model, the justice system, and substance use disorder.

The beneficiaries of the program will be Baltimore City residents with substance use disorder, primarily at intercept levels 3-5, via referral from MOED’s internal re-entry programs, external re-entry partnerships, court diversion programs, and co-located partners at parole and probation. Individuals at intercept level 0 will also have access to these services if they are at high risk for justice involvement. Peer recovery navigation services, both supportive and employment-focused, will be provided to 180 individuals. Additionally, the supported employment program will enroll 120 participants for career development services, conducted in concert with participants’ treatment teams, and 66 of those enrolled will obtain and maintain employment that supports their recovery goals.