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

The purpose of this project is to support a range of diversionary and
community engagement activities to reduce the impact of the use and misuse of opioids,
stimulants, and other substances on the individuals and communities in Baltimore City, including
a reduction in the number of overdose fatalities. These activities include Community Center
Expansion Services (CCES) program services; hiring and deploying a Diversion Project Manager
to provide project management and oversight to the Baltimore City’s Law Enforcement Assisted
Diversion (LEAD) program and the CCES program; and participating in other diversion efforts;
and hiring and deploying an Overdose Fatality Review Coordinator to facilitate the review
process of fatal overdose deaths. The expected outcomes will include an enhanced partnership
between local law enforcement agencies and the behavioral health system; an increase in
numbers of City residents with a history of criminal justice involvement and disengagement from
services being connected to support and treatment services; identification of systemic gaps; and a
reduction in non-fatal and fatal overdoses across Baltimore City. The service areas of the current
LEAD program include the Baltimore Police Central District and surrounding neighborhoods;
the CCES program primarily serves the East Baltimore area, and the Overdose Fatality Review
Team will convene on a bi-monthly basis to review cases of overdose death that occur within the
City limits. The beneficiaries of the OFR activities include all Baltimore City residents.
Behavioral Health System Baltimore will serve as a subrecipient and will directly employ the
Diversion Project Manager and monitor the implementation of the CCES program with the subvendor. The planned activities include real-time data collection (19%). The Diversion Project
Manager and Community Center Expansion Services projects, through
supporting multidisciplinary diversion and referral models, fall within the allowable use under
Category 1, Law Enforcement and first responder deflection and diversion, (collectively 81% of
the budget).