National Program

CALL FOR PAARI NATIONAL RECOVERY CORPS VISTA MEMBER APPLICATIONS Inaugural Program Year 2019-2020

About PAARI: The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) was founded alongside the Gloucester Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015 and has grown into a movement of 465 law enforcement partners in 33 states creating non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery.

The opioid epidemic is our country’s greatest public health emergency and there were more than 72,000 drug related overdose deaths in the US in 2017. Only 11% of people who need access to treatment for a substance use disorder receive care. Access to treatment is particularly difficult for individuals experiencing homelessness, unemployed individuals, low-income adults, formerly incarcerated adults, low-income veterans, and those with concurrent physical health issues and mental health disorders. Law enforcement officers have a front row seat to the opioid epidemic and a growing number of police departments are adopting non-arrest programs that connect individuals with substance use disorders to treatment and recovery support services.

Project Summary: PAARI is currently implementing a three year pilot project, funded by the the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Massachusetts Service Alliance, to place members in service alongside police to address the opioid epidemic and expand access to treatment and recovery. We are expanding our Recovery Corps nationwide through the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Members of our National Recovery Corps will strengthen the ability of partnering law enforcement agencies to increase access to care and address addiction and poverty through non-arrest approaches. This program will place VISTAs in police departments to help build, strengthen, and sustain police-led programs to reduce and prevent overdose deaths and help more people with opioid use disorder get into treatment and recovery.

We are looking to build a cohort of seventeen (17) PAARI National Recovery Corps VISTAs, spread across the entire nation, from Maine to Washington, from Michigan to Arizona.

VISTAs will be embedded in police departments to help build, strengthen, and sustain police-led programs to reduce and prevent overdose deaths and help more people with opioid use disorder get into treatment and recovery. This can include: Developing a project plan for increasing awareness and participation, community assessments, community awareness and engagement, expanding and strengthening partnerships with service providers, developing financial resources, developing materials, developing policies and procedures, program development and delivery, technology use, developing data collection systems and processes, and volunteer recruitment and management systems.

Call for VISTA Members: PAARI is seeking individuals interested in doing a year of service at law enforcement agencies across the country. There are 14 total positions available for Program Development VISTAs (multiple locations), one Resource Development VISTA (Plymouth, MA), one Police Outreach VISTA (Plymouth, MA), and one VISTA Leader (Boston, MA).

Qualifications:

• Are at least 18 years old; no upper age limit
• Both local and national candidates
• Are U.S. citizens, US Nationals, Lawful Permanent Resident Aliens, or persons legally residing in a state
• Pass a criminal history review (a criminal background does not automatically preclude an individual)
• Meet knowledge, skill, and ability requirements set by the sponsoring organization
• Serve full-time (average of 35-40 hours per week)
• Make a one year commitment
• Understand living allowance and service benefits
• Commitment to service and the principles of AmeriCorps VISTA
• As these positions will be operating in a new environment, in addition to relevant lived experience and knowledge of the local treatment ecosystem, we will be looking for strong administrative skills, flexibility, resourcefulness, positive attitude, willingness to take initiative, the ability to build rapport with a diverse groups of people, as well as a commitment to PAARI’s mission and values

Benefits:

• Living Allowance (varies based on the cost of living of the service location)
  • As an AmeriCorps VISTA Member or Leader, you receive a living allowance. The Corporation determines the living allowance rate, which varies according to the local cost of living in the area where you serve.
    • See here for your location’s exact living allowance
• Settling in Allowance: Members moving 50 miles or more are eligible to receive a settling in allowance of $750
• Relocation Reimbursement: Candidates approved to relocate to serve are eligible for a Relocation Travel Allowance. The rate is based on the mileage between the zip code of the home of record and the zip code of the service site.
• Health Benefits
• Childcare Benefits
• AmeriCorps Segal Education Award or end of service stipend
  • AmeriCorps Segal Education Award- $6,195
  • End of Service Stipend- $1,800
• Loan Forbearance
• In-Service Training (facilitated by the VISTA Training Unit)
• Emergency Medical or Bereavement Leave & Travel
• Up to 5 days of Emergency Leave
• 10 days of Sick Leave
• 10 Days of Personal Leave
• Workers Compensation

Please click the links below to learn about and apply for one or more service opportunity.

Program Development VISTA (Full-Time Availability):

Hope Not Handcuffs – Taylor Police Department  – Taylor, MI

Hope Not Handcuffs – Saginaw City Police Department

Fraser I – Hope Not Handcuffs – Regional Support  – Fraser, MI

Scarborough Police Department – Scarborough, ME

Rhode Island State Police HOPE Initiative – East Providence, RI

Douglas Police & Cochise County Agencies – Douglas, AZ

Holyoke Police Department – Holyoke, MA

Resource Development VISTA (Full-Time Availability):

PAARI Plymouth – National Support – Plymouth, MA

Police Outreach VISTA (Full-Time Availability):

PAARI Plymouth – National Support – Plymouth, MA

VISTA Leader (Full-Time Availability):

PAARI Boston – National Support – Boston, MA

*Candidates for the VISTA Leader position must have previously completed a full-term with any AmeriCorps program or Peace Corps

To Apply: To apply, you must create an account and log into the My.AmeriCorps portal and apply to the listing for the specific location you are interested in. Please feel free to email rachel@paariusa.org with any questions. No phone calls please. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible and incomplete applications will not be considered. Candidates will be interviewed and selected on a rolling basis.

PAARI is an equal opportunity employer and reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to participate in the interview process, orientation, and service.

About AmeriCorps VISTA: Lifting People Out of Poverty Since 1965

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members bring passion and perseverance where the need is greatest: to organizations that help eradicate poverty. AmeriCorps VISTA members serve as a catalyst for change, living and working alongside community members to meet our nation’s most pressing challenges and advance local solutions. Since 1965, over 220,000 VISTA members have served with the mission to strengthen organizations that alleviate poverty. VISTA serves in each of the 50 US States and in all US Territories. VISTA members go where they are needed and make a difference through volunteering and the mobilization of resources.