Wind Hollow Reentry Demonstration Program

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail and returning to communities, including resources to address the myriad needs of these offenders to achieve a successful return to their communities. Section 201 of the Second Chance Act authorizes the Second Chance Act Reentry Demonstration Program Targeting Offenders with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders Program, which is designed to provide treatment and recovery support services to offenders during incarceration and after their return to the community. This section specifically addresses the treatment needs of offenders who have substance abuse disorders and authorizes grants to states, units of local government, territories, and Indian tribes to improve the provision of drug treatment to offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities during the period of incarceration and through the completion of parole or other court supervision after release into the community.

The term co-occurring disorders (COD) refers to co-occurring substance-related and mental disorders. Clients said to have COD have one or more substance-related disorders as well as one or more mental disorders. At the individual level, COD exist when at least one disorder of each type can be established independent of the other and is not simply a cluster of symptoms resulting from [a single] disorder. Projects will implement or expand offender treatment programs for re-entering offenders with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. Programs should require urinalysis and/or other proven reliable forms of drug and alcohol testing for program participants, including both periodic and random testing, and for former participants while they remain in the custody, or under community supervision, of the state, local, or tribal government.

Wind Hollow Foundation, INC. has been awarded grant funds in the amount of $600,000. A three member consortium in rural Oklahoma comprised of the City of Anadarko, Caddo County, and the Wind Hollow Foundation has been formed to support the adoption and implementation of permanent transformative changes in how public mental health services are organized, managed, and delivered. Three strategic areas will be included; Jobs and Economy, Trauma and Justice, and Public Awareness and Support.
The Wind Hollow Foundation will serve as the grant recipient and provide life skills training programs and economic development projects for rural residents and Native Americans residing among the 7 tribes located in Caddo County and surrounding areas. Their focus will be to provide green alternative building and community revitalization to repurpose and retro-fit low income housing. Mentored counseling with green jobs training and employment opportunities for offenders with mental illness and substance abuse disorders is a cornerstone of the program.
The evaluation component will be based on two change theory frameworks, Community Organization and Diffusion of Innovation at the population level. The Theory of Reasoned Action will be used at the individual level. This will help them to document and better understand the social context and behaviors of the ex-offenders. Units for comparative analysis will be cognitive skills, drug/substance abuse and vocation/education assistance. The goal is reducing recidivism of rural American Indians in the seven (7) tribal nations and across Caddo County.

CA/NCF