ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – On Monday, Atlanta and Fulton County officials came together for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Center for Diversion & Services in downtown Atlanta.
“It’s about clothing the naked, feeding the hungry and lifting up our neighbors when they are in need,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
The center is a place where police and the nonprofit PAD can bring people battling mental health concerns, substance abuse issues, homelessness or arrestable, low-level offenses.
The facility is intended to take pressure off of Fulton County’s jail and court system.
“Our mission here is one that is crystal clear. We want to provide alternatives to incarceration, and we also want to address the root causes,” said Fulton County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman.
Officials hope to divert 10,000 people away from the Fulton County Jail to the diversion center, annually.
Dickens was joined by top brass from the City of Atlanta, the Fulton County government and Grady Health System.
“The jail is the right place for the person who has been charged with shooting and killing someone. And there they will stay until they get a trial. And that’s sort of the classic flow that you’ll see. But when it comes to social services, and really what we need to do is tend to this person’s mental health needs, the jail is not the right place. But for years it was the only option, this is another option,” said Judge Robert McBurney of the Fulton County Superior Court.
McBurney said roughly 2% of the cases he sees involve extremely violent crimes like murder or rape.
“What we see much more often is that familiar face who is arrested again on a low-level drug charge, or entering an auto to take the bag you mistakenly left on the back seat to sell it to get more drugs to deal with the mental health issues that this gentleman is working through. And a program like this is going to help us address those individuals and connect them with resources that ought to divert them out of that cycle that we see again and again,” McBurney said.
Grady officials said the center will also take pressure off of their hospital.
John Haupert, CEO of Grady Health System, said 14% of the hospital’s psychiatric beds are filled with individuals brought to the hospital by police officers.
“Until now, the officers may not have had a choice but to take the individual to jail. And they have no other option but to bring them to Grady in that case,” said Haupert. “The diversion center will offer an alternative location, potentially freeing up to 130 psychiatric emergency room beds a month at the hospital.”
Services include a 24/7 sobering room, certified peer support, case management and referrals and a warrant resolution clinic.
Individuals will also have access to showers and laundry services.
Eligible guests must be 18 and older and must agree to the diversion.
Some like Antonio Bryant believe in the potential of the facility because he’s seen its methodology work firsthand.
Bryant said he was convicted multiple times for drug-related charges. He said he was taken to jail multiple times in Atlanta, DeKalb County and Gwinnett County.
“Jail couldn’t help me. What would incarcerating someone with mental health problems do if you’re not treating them,” said Bryant.
But Bryant said on one occasion, instead of jail, police officers took him to PAD, the Policing Alternatives Initiative in Atlanta.
PAD provides community response services throughout Atlanta, in partnership with the city’s 311 phone service.
Bryant said PAD helped him find resources to help him address drug addiction.
He said PAD also helped him get connected with veterans affairs so he could access benefits, including improved access to healthcare.
“I’m debt-free, trouble-free, stress-free. So, I’m free now. So, if I can do some good for the world, that’s what I’m trying to do now,” said Bryant.
While the ribbon cutting was held Monday, the center is expected to open officially next month.
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