Long Beach Health Department Awarded $8 Million to Provide Services to People Arrested, Charged or Convicted of Nonviolent Offenses

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PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) has been awarded an $8 million grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections to implement a new Long Beach Reentry Service and Diversion Program. The new program, which is funded through 2028, will work in collaboration with local community-based organizations to assist individuals arrested, charged or convicted of nonviolent offenses, especially those with mental health or substance use challenges.

"This new program will support and address gaps for reentry services such as vital mental health and substance use treatment for nonviolent offenders," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "By providing key support services, we can reduce recidivism, reducing crime while providing a second chance for those who are justice-involved."

The new program seeks to:

• Enhance and increase coordination of mental health, substance use treatment, diversion and supportive services for justice-involved people in Long Beach.
• Increase programming specifically designed for justice-involved youth ages 15-24.
• Improve connections to specific mental health, substance use treatment and supportive services for justice-involved women.

Major services will include individual and group therapy, as well as psychiatric medication management to support mental health, substance use treatment, and pre-arrest diversion programs for youth and adults. Additionally, the program will offer a range of supportive services including case management, education and employment assistance, connection to housing, legal support and tattoo removal.

"The program will strengthen partnerships to boost the capacity of local service providers and provide services through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens," said Health Department Director Alison King.

The Health Department is currently in the process of developing program details and will announce further information in early 2025. The California Board of State and Community Corrections, which awarded the grant, is an independent statutory agency that provides leadership to the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems. Funding comes from state savings generated by the implementation of Prop 47, which reduced certain low-level drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. More information about the Long Beach Health Department is available at longbeach.gov/health and on Instagram, Facebook and X.

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