Just last week, a Juneau man with mental health issues issued violent threats inside a healthcare clinic. The situation ended up resolving peacefully, with the man cooperating with police and agreeing to undergo a mental health evaluation the following day.
It could have turned out a lot differently, Juneau Police Department Chief Bryce Johnson said, if the officer who handled to the case hadn’t been trained in crisis intervention.
“In the past, we would’ve gone breaking that guy’s door down, had some sort of conflict, high likely use of force by officers — that was the police response,” Johnson said. “Instead, a very highly trained officer was able to find a very peaceful resolution and got the man to the help he needed.”
The Crisis Intervention Team is a training program that teaches law enforcement officers how to interact with people with mental illness, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. JPD is able to offer it through a grant from the Juneau Community Foundation.
“Through their help, we’ve really been able to make the program grow and work,” Johnson said. “It’s changing the way we deal with people with mental illness.”
JPD is just one of 23 Juneau organizations and nonprofits getting an influx of almost $1.9 million in funding through Juneau Community Foundation. The money will help the city’s most vulnerable residents, particularly in the areas of homelessness, addiction, domestic violence, suicide prevention, senior care, mental health, education and income stability programs.
A little more than a million of the funding comes from the foundation’s Hope Endowment Fund and the rest comes from the City and Borough of Juneau.
[To view the full list of the 2016 Hope and CBJ awards, click past Amy Skilbred’s image at the top of the page, and see images 2 and 3.]
One of the largest awards is for nearly $158,000 to Gastineau Human Services for a residential substance abuse treatment facility.
Juneau Community Foundation’s board of directors held listening and learning sessions with organizations that apply for the funding, said executive director Amy Skilbred.
“And there was a strong sense among the providers of substance abuse treatment and prevention in Juneau that having a place for people to go and be with other people who are also having to live a similar life to try and further their substance abuse recovery process was really critical for Juneau. It was a missing link,” she said.
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Juneau Affiliate is getting a grant of $100,000 for a community support and recovery specialist. This is a new position at the organization that will help families who are experiencing substance use disorders navigate the system of care and find appropriate resources.
At JPD, Johnson said the Crisis Intervention Team has been instrumental in ensuring possible confrontations don’t escalate. Last year, the police department and community partners held an Crisis Intervention Team “academy” for the first time. Six JPD staff members received training in psychology and empathy classes. The department will hold another academy this fall. Johnson said the goal is to have someone who’s received the training on duty at all times. JPD also has a detective trained in Crisis Intervention Team.
For other entities, the community foundation’s funding has gone toward existing programs, like Catholic Community Service’s Hospice and Home Care, Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s recreation services and the Southeast Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children’s Parents as Teachers program.
“It’s about making sure that programs that work have at least some additional funding. We’re seeing a lot of budget cuts at the state level that will affect different organizations,” Skilbred said. “It’s a time of uncertainty”
Skilbred said while the grants add up to a tremendous amount being put into the Juneau community, “at the same time, there’s still a greater need than there are available funds.”
• Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 or lisa.phu@juneauempire.com.
2016 Hope and CBJ Awards, Page 1
