Pre-Arrest Diversion Program funded in Atlanta

Last week the Atlanta City Council approved a $661.4 million budget for the 2019 fiscal year with $400,000 in general fund dollars earmarked for pre-arrest diversion-- a 60% increase in city funding from last year. The City's increased support will help PAD increase its capacity to field diversions by: Adding a second Care Navigation team, Expanding diversion hours, and Training more law enforcement officials in the PAD protocol. The City is not alone in its growing support for pre-arrest diversion. The Fulton County Board of Commissionershas approved the Justice Coordinating Committee's recommendation to allocate $100,000 to PAD this year through its Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). Check out this video to learn more about JRI (PAD shout-out at 4:59!). As an Impact and Innovation grantee of the Open Society Foundations, program will receive technical support from Pathways to Housing D.C. to develop new partnerships that support a Housing First approach and identify public resources for housing and supportive services.