Since December, Measure 110 addiction recovery providers and trained outreach peers have been working with law enforcement in downtown Portland to offer people suffering from addiction treatment instead of jail time.
Providers have hosted more than a dozen shifts and connected more than 150 people to vital services, from detox to treatment, peer support, shelter, and more. Each shift is an inspiring testament to the fact that people will voluntarily accept help when it is made immediately available in a low barrier way. It’s also a frustrating reminder that without a fully-funded system of care, many people who want treatment and would gladly accept help today are still not be able to get it. Measure 110 is making a difference, and much more is needed to build out a system of care that meets the need.
The pilot program has been so successful that it is now expanding into a permanent program. The project will soon cover all of Portland’s central city, and is funded by the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the State of Oregon following the tri-government fentanyl emergency declaration.
All frontline outreach workers participating in the program are from Measure 110-funded organizations. Thanks to additional funding from Measure 110, community organizations and addiction recovery providers have been able to staff each pilot event with trained peers/outreach workers — individuals whose jobs would not exist without Measure 110, nor many of the additional services now online that they can direct people to for help. Stay tuned for updates on where the program will be permanently housed!