Expanding Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) to build a Care Coordination Team and field-based outpatient services

The Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office (LBCPO) proposes to expand its Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) model by creating a field-based Care Coordination Team (CCT) to increase LEAD participant enrollment, connect participants to treatment, and reduce recidivism. This team will proactively reach out to justice-impacted individuals in Long Beach with a history of co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Partnering with the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (L.A. CADA), LBCPO will focus on serving justice-impacted individuals with co-occurring disorders. The CCT will receive referrals from prosecutors, law enforcement officers and the Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services Homeless Outreach Team. This expanded model has four key components: establishing a new partnership between LBCPO and L.A. CADA,  creating a Care Coordination Team to conduct outreach  to justice-impacted individuals experiencing substance use disorders, implementing five inpatient treatment beds and three detox beds for participants prior to placement in recovery bridge housing, and developing outpatient treatment services at the Long Beach Multi-Service Center for persons experiencing homelessness with co-occurring disorders. The CCT will include a full-time L.A. CADA substance use counselor, a full-time peer specialist with lived experience, and a part-time mental health clinician that will provide field-based services as needed. The team will collaborate with the Long Beach Health Department Homeless Services Bureau and LBCPO, to connect participants to permanent housing and work closely with LBCPO to and address related legal barriers. In addition to responding to referrals, the CCT will collaborate with specialized law enforcement units such as the Quality of Life (QOL) team, Mental Evaluation Team (MET) and Patrol Resource Officers (PROs) to conduct regular outreach. 
 
Expected outcomes include a 50% increase in participant enrollment and retention in treatment reduced recidivism and interactions with law enforcement, timely and efficient field-based response to referrals, and a streamlined process for connecting persons experiencing homelessness to treatment programs.