Options Partners with City of Berkeley for CareBridge Program
California’s Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act (Prop 47, 2024) reclassified certain non-violent drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and assists communities in addressing crime and homelessness. Supported by Prop 47, the City of Berkeley, the Berkeley Police Department, and Options Recovery Services are launching the Berkeley CareBridge Project. The project is a post-arrest diversion and reentry support program that helps individuals stabilize after release from custody and reduce the likelihood of re-arrest. The program offers housing, daily meals, mental health and substance use services, case management, and connections to housing and employment resources, and is expected to serve between 60 and 80 people annually.
Berkeley CareBridge is designed for adults in Berkeley who have had contact with the justice system within the past three years and who would benefit from behavioral health or substance use support. The program serves adults ages 18 and older who have been arrested for a misdemeanor and are exhibiting mental health or substance use–related behaviors.
Participants do not need to be unhoused to qualify, though the program does provide housing for up to six months at a former motel in downtown Berkeley. For more information, visit the Berkeley CareBridge program website or review the program brochure, or click here to read a related article written by Emilie Raguso for The Berkeley Scanner.
Options recognizes the many staff and elected officials who have made significant contributions to the development and implementation of the Berkeley CareBridge program.
How Do You Know?
If you or someone you care about needs help, how do you know where to go? If you want to make a difference in your community, if you want to support genuine efforts to transform lives impacted by alcohol, drugs, incarceration, homelessness, mental health, or all of the above, where do you go?
The back page of this newsletter is one place to start. Four times a year Options publishes a newsletter with contact information for both obtaining services and being of service. Each newsletter is posted on Options’ webpage, a site with detailed information about Options services and activities.
In addition to Options’ website, Options maintains an ongoing social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram – using each media outlet to reach a wider audience to inform where help is available and the impact such help may be having. Options also maintains a YouTube channel to document significant events via video recordings. These efforts are there for you, your families, and your neighbors to stay informed and stay involved. Please consider joining the Options team of email linked supporters by signing up to receive notifications as they happen.
Thank you.
