Olympia and the Catholic Community Services (CCS) recently won a $1 million grant from the Department of Justice’s Arrest and Jail Alternative (AJA) Law Enforcement Program.
Housing and Homeless Response Director Darian Lightfoot shared the information at the council meeting on Tuesday. The grant would expand the city’s AJA program, help with staff retention, and provide additional training for staff to better help those struggling with substance use disorders and mental health issues, and help with staff retention.
Lightfoot said the money would fund the program for three years and help address critical needs in the community. CCS also received the same grant program in 2021-2022.
The AJA program supports individuals facing behavioral health challenges, homelessness, and involvement with the criminal justice system, and collaborates with the Olympia Police Department, Crisis Response Unit, and other providers to support individuals on their journey towards resilience, stability, and well-being.
DOJ’s AJA grant program aims to support local efforts in correctly identifying criminal justice system-involved persons with substance use disorders and other behavioral health needs.
The program’s goal is to engage those individuals with therapeutic interventions and other services that have been proven effective through experience, peer-reviewed research, or credible promising practices.
Lightfoot said this grant application was a total “Hail Mary,” as it was a long-shot attempt but decided to proceed with the application. However, she and the program manager felt it was worth a try. They received word that the grant had been approved Tuesday morning.
“We were like, if we get this, we're gonna jump in the Sound,” Lightfoot recounted her conversation with her team.
The councilmembers and City Manager Jay Burney commended Lightfoot and her team for securing the grant funds, recalling challenging Lightfoot to get as much money as possible from state funding to be used for Thurston County and Olympia area.
“When you look at the money that has flowed in through Commerce, it is because we had our act together. It is because we found a way to come together regionally,” Burney said. “It is because of some fierce advocacy from Darian and her team to get that money.”
However, Burney said they are not declaring victory because there is a lot of work to do around homelessness, housing, and gaps to fill in the systems.
“We still do not have adequate mental health and health care facilities for chronically mentally ill. We do not have long-term supportive drug rehabilitation,” Burney said. “We have some outpatient on its way but don't have good inpatient services.”
“No matter how much money the state provides, that's not work the cities can do,” the city manager added. “That is work that the state and federal governments have to do. That is the next gap that we'll have to fill.”
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