FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BRUNSWICK, ME November 25, 2024 – The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is proud to announce the latest installment of its Partner Spotlight Series webinar. This month’s event, scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 26, will feature Robyn Goff, Director of Community Justice Programs, and Tia Poulin, Deflection and Diversion Program Manager at Volunteers of America (VOA) Northern New England. This webinar will offer a unique opportunity to learn from these leaders in deflection and diversion strategies across the state of Maine.
Robyn and Tia bring extensive experience implementing innovative programs to address substance use disorders and enhance public safety. Since partnering with PAARI last year, they have co-hosted quarterly statewide convenings, strengthening collaboration and knowledge sharing. In this one-hour presentation, Robyn and Tia will showcase their work and share best practices with PAARI partners nationwide.
This presentation will focus on the importance of coordinating police and mental health collaborations to regionalize efforts and adopt a district-wide approach to deflection and diversion using Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) techniques. A cornerstone of the LEAD Program is its accessibility: individuals can be referred to services at any point in the four-county district criminal justice system. Referrals can be made pre-arrest, during incarceration at one of the three regional facilities, or post-release, with services supported through various funding sources, including the Second Chance Grant, LEAD Grant, Connect and Protect Grant, and three municipal contracts.
“We are looking forward to presenting to PAARI’s wide network of police and public safety professionals this month,” said Robyn. “Collaboration with organizations like PAARI allows us to stay informed about the most up-to-date practices in diversion nationwide, and we are deeply grateful for this partnership.”
“At PAARI, we are committed to advocating for and strengthening deflection and diversion programs across the U.S.,” said Zoe Grover, Executive Director of PAARI. “The work Robyn and Tia are doing in Maine is exemplary and demonstrates a deep commitment to providing alternatives to arrest for individuals with substance use disorders.”
To register for the Partner Spotlight Series presentation, please visit the registration page HERE.
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ABOUT PAARI: The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create deflection programs (I.e.non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery). Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester, Mass., Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, PAARI has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, strategic guidance, connection to training resources, and other capacity-building resources to more than 800 police departments in 46 states.
PAARI works with more than 160 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. PAARI and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion and deflection programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities. Our programs and partners have saved tens of thousands of lives, changed police culture, and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic since its founding in June 2015. Learn more at paariusa.org.
ABOUT VOA Northern New England: Over the years, Volunteers of America has established itself as “The Place to Turn” for our country’s most vulnerable individuals. Volunteers of America was founded in 1896 by social reformers Ballington and Maud Booth. They envisioned a movement dedicated to “reaching and uplifting” the American people. On behalf of the organization, the Booths pledged to “go wherever we are needed, and do whatever comes to hand.” That declaration continues to guide Volunteers of America’s outreach efforts today.
At Volunteers of America Northern New England we serve the people of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with the promise to reach out and uplift the human condition and provide opportunity for individual and community involvement. Volunteers of America has supported and empowered America’s most vulnerable groups, including at-risk youth, the frail elderly, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions. Volunteers of America is also proud to be the largest provider of affordable housing in the country. Learn more at voanne.org.
