City of Billings COSSAP

The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) was developed as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) legislation. COSSAP’s purpose is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other drugs of abuse.

The objective of Category 1 is to encourage and support the development of comprehensive, locally driven responses to opioids, stimulants, and other substances that expand access to supervision, treatment, and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for nonviolent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by substance abuse.

The Billings Peer Support Diversion Program (Billings PSDP) will develop a peer support-driven prebooking diversion program that provides support for individuals at high risk of overdose or chronic substance abuse. The program will use trained and certified peer support specialists, working independently and embedded with law enforcement to engage in street outreach with the chronically homeless through mobile behavioral health crisis response. The primary objective of the project is to use evidence-based strategies to divert high-risk individuals from incarceration into treatment and social support services. The project will also overcome local barriers related to length of treatment for methamphetamine recovery and limited recovery housing options in the community. This project serves individuals who have been arrested and chronically homeless individuals with opioid or stimulant use disorders in all of Yellowstone County, with a focus on downtown Billings, where this population is concentrated. The project includes partnerships among the City of Billings, Billings Police Department, Downtown Billings Association, and Rimrock, Montana’s largest mental health and substance abuse treatment provider.

CA/NCF