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Hillsborough County award close to $1 million grant from DCF
Hillsborough County has been awarded a Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant award from the Florida Department of Children and Families in the amount of $999,999 over a period of three state fiscal years at $333,333 a year.
The funds from the grant will be used to provide needed intensive case management, treatment, and ancillary social services and support not otherwise available for ex-offenders. It is believed that the provision of these services will reduce the likelihood of participants in the project to re-offend by increasing their access to community services, thereby promoting public safety and reducing recidivism. To receive this three-year grant, a dollar-for-dollar match must be provided.
This Criminal Justice Reinvestment Grant is a three-year project which is intended to either undertake planning or implement/expand initiatives that increase public safety, avert increased spending on criminal justice; and improve the accessibility and effectiveness of treatment services. Funded programs may serve adults or juveniles that are currently involved in the criminal justice system or at risk of entering the criminal or juvenile justice systems.
Implementation grants require a well-established collaboration involving public/private partnership models and use of evidence based practices. The Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) has served as the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioner’s planning committee for other funding opportunities including the Bureau of Justice Assistance and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) awards implemented by Criminal Justice. Under the SAMHSA grant, the PSCC and County staff created a strategic planning framework for jail diversion of the mentally ill and a related Memorandum of Understanding which was signed by 14 stakeholders and community based providers.