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!
Recently more than a dozen mental health, harm reduction and addiction services providers based in Lane County showed up in full force for the first-ever BHRN Bash. A medley of culturally-specific, youth-centered, harm reduction and full-service providers were on hand to share about the many new addiction services now online, thanks to additional funding from Measure 110.
At the event peers and outreach workers met with community members to connect them to vital services, According to the most recent data, Lane County has seen a tremendous increase in addiction treatment with more than 42,000 encounters for addiction treatment in the last 5 quarters alone.
Take a moment to see for yourself with this great segment from KTVL recapping the great work at BHRN Bash here.
More photos from our recent visit to Measure 110 providers in Eugene:
Family Nurturing Center: Keeping Families Together in Southern Oregon
In the heart of the Rogue Valley lies a beacon of hope and transformation: The Family Nurturing Center (FNC). Recently, HJRA had the privilege of traveling to Southern Oregon to meet with some remarkable parent mentors at FNC who embody resilience and compassion, bringing lived experience to their work of having navigated many of the same challenges their clients are working through — whether that be addiction, criminal legal system involvement, or open cases with child welfare services.
FNC provides crucial support services, focused on keeping families together through a three-pronged approach of offering therapeutic classrooms for children, home visitation for parents, and parent education. They also generate additional income through leasing out some of their buildings, ensuring sustainability and expanding their programs.
FNC’s Parent Mentor Program has seen significant growth thanks to Measure 110 funding. Crystal Walker, the Program Manager and a proud FNC graduate, oversees this vital program, which has doubled its capacity to support parents like Stephanie thanks to Measure 110. Under Measure 110 this program has from four mentors with 10 parents on each mentors’ caseload, to now eight mentors with an additional 10 cases each.
Contact: Devon Downeysmith
Communications Director
503-308-1373 press@yesonip44.org
Today Oregonians officially launched a ballot measure campaign designed to establish a more humane and effective approach to drug addiction. Hundreds attended today’s campaign’s kick-off event at its headquarters in Portland, including physicians, former law enforcement, treatment and recovery providers, and community members. Keep scrolling to view photos from the campaign kick-off.
The Act would increase the availability of drug treatment and recovery services. Existing marijuana taxes would help pay for it.
As part of the shift to a health-based approach to drugs, the initiative would reduce simple drug possession penalties, changing them from misdemeanors to infractions. The Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act does not legalize any drugs. Click here to learn more about the initiative.
To qualify the initiative for the ballot, the More Treatment, A Better Oregon campaign needs to collect 112,020 signatures from Oregon voters by early July. The campaign said it would announce next week how many signatures it had collected so far.
The More Treatment campaign announced its first 20+ endorsements:
ACLU
ACLU of Oregon
Basic Rights Oregon
Bridges to Change
Community Alliance of Tenants
Drug Policy Action
Gang Impacted Family Team
Harm Reduction Coalition
Healing Hurt People
Human Rights Watch
Human Impact Partners
Jobs with Justice Portland
Law Enforcement Action Partnership
Men Building Men
Moms United
The Miracles Club
New Approach Oregon
Next Up Oregon
Oregon Latino Health Coalition
Oregon State Council For Retired Citizens
Partnership for Safety and Justice
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Unite Oregon
United Seniors of Oregon
“People in treatment and recovery have been looking forward to a campaign like this one for decades,” said Richard Harris, founder of Central City Concern and the former director of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the state of Oregon. “Oregon needs a better approach to addiction, and that’s what this initiative provides.”
“These arrests are ruining lives,” said Kayse Jama, executive director of Unite Oregon, which advocates for racial justice, immigrants and refugees. “It’s time to start saving lives instead, by improving access to treatment.”
