What is the Recovery Corps VISTA Program?
The Recovery Corps is a cohort of full-time PAARI volunteers spread across the country to serve alongside police to address the opioid epidemic and expand access to treatment and recovery. It was started in 2017 through AmeriCorps, a federal, national community service organization. The majority of our Recovery Corps members are embedded in police departments to help build, strengthen, and sustain police-led programs to reduce overdose deaths and help more people with substance use disorders access treatment and recovery.
In 2021, PAARI was awarded a cohort of 25 PAARI National Recovery Corps members, spread across the nation, from Maine to Colorado, and Michigan to Arizona, to serve alongside police to address the opioid epidemic and expand access to treatment and recovery.
As a result of our program, members have served 14,572 individuals directly and indirectly between June 21st 2020 – October 1st, 2021.
Through members’ fundraising and grant writing skills, members have been able to secure over $970,000 dollars for departments and organizations. Some departments have expressed interest in data tracking systems, and thus far there have been over 1,000 hours put towards that and enhancing other capacity building services.
As part of the team, PAARI was able to send roughly 50% of our members to the Recovery Coach Academy for free. This 30-hour training enhances the knowledge and skills of those who will be supporting people on their recovery journeys. This course delivers CCAR’s 30-hour Recovery Coach Academy for a law enforcement audience, and participants received a Certificate of Completion for CCAR’s Recovery Coach Academy as well as a PAARI Certificate of Completion.
100% of our host sites have stated that because of PAARI’s Recovery Corps and their VISTA member, their organization has increased its efficiency, effectiveness, and program reach. A host site supervisor mentioned, “[the] PAARI Recovery Corps program has created so much room for partnership and collaboration development within [their] department, the community partners, and the surrounding communities,” and that, “without PAARI’s Recovery Corps program, the department would not be able to continue the level of life saving services that [they] have been able to continue amid a pandemic.”
Our core activities include:
- Building, strengthening, and sustaining police-led programs
- Reducing overdose deaths
- Helping people with substance use disorders access treatment leading to recovery
- Developing project plans for increasing awareness and participation
- Community assessments
- Expanding and strengthening partnerships with service providers
- Developing financial resources
- Developing program marketing materials
- Developing policies and procedures
- Technology use
- Developing data collection systems and processes
- Volunteer recruitment and management systems
Here you’ll find the most recent host site orientation PowerPoint
How to become a host site?
- Apply here to become a host site and PAARI will be in touch with you.
- Create a Volunteer Assignment Description (VAD). Templates will be shared with you.
- Begin recruitment. Templates and job posting will be shared with you.
- PAARI will conduct the first interview with the applicant. From there the applicant will move on to the second interview with you, their potential host site. PAARI can be on the interview panel if requested. PAARI will share a list of questions that must be asked as well as questions that are recommended to ask. If you think the applicant is a good fit for your department the applicant will move on to the final stages of the interview process. The individual must meet with PAARIs Executive Director.
When can a member start?
AmeriCorps has specific start dates for members that we must follow.
The next available start dates are:
- Monday, May 9th 2022
- Monday, June 6th, 2022
- Tuesday, July 5th, 2022
- Monday, July 18th, 2022
