Later this month, the community corrections division at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office will be launching the Resilience and Recovery Project. This new project involves the addition of peer mentors from the Pathfinder Network who will help community corrections clients navigate local resources that promote successful reentry and completion of supervision.
Through the use of trained peer support specialists, this new program will provide individual support, peer support groups, classes, workshops, action planning and more.
The Resilience and Recovery Project will follow a program model which incorporates evidence based practices to increase access for historically underserved communities and fostering engagement with existing programs and services such as housing, substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment. The peer mentors at the center of this program will draw from lived experience to engage participants in a goal oriented and collaborative partnership.
“For many years we’ve known about the value of peer mentors through the other programs we offer. This project increases peer mentor access for all of our clients, giving them one more resource to help them navigate barriers during the reentry process. Successful reentry isn’t possible without a strong network of support systems within the community. The partnerships we’ve built with treatment and service providers, departments across Marion County, and the courts have been instrumental in reducing recidivism in Marion County,” said Kevin Karvandi, the community corrections division commander
Funding for the Resilience and Recovery Project was obtained through the 2021 – 2023 Oregon Justice Reinvestment Initiative grant.