2008 Issue Areas

The Reentry Roundtable Planning Council attempts to integrate its work in key issues areas by establishing formal partnerships with existing committees, work groups, and coalitions that have similar or overlapping goals. This results in more efficient use of existing community resources, less duplication of effort, and promotes opportunities for dialog and the sharing of accurate data.

Housing

Purpose:  To strengthen partnerships with and between housing groups to reduce housing barriers for people with criminal histories

Goals:

1. Develop inventory of housing opportunities for persons with criminal histories
2. Develop assessment tool to determine level of services being provided by housing providers
3. Identify gaps based on inventory and assessment

Key Partners:  Austin Housing Authority, City of Austin Neighborhood Planning, CHODA Roundtable, Community Action Network, ECHO Exiting Committee, Housing First, Mayor’s Mental Health Oversight Committee, Travis County Housing Authority, local community development corporations

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Mental Health

Purpose:  To divert people with mental illness from the criminal justice system and to enhance post-release, mental health services

Goals:

1. Strengthen partnerships with and between correctional and mental health organizations
2. Develop strategies to divert people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders from the criminal justice system
3. Increase case management services for people with mental illness in the criminal justice system through the FACT model

Key Partners:  Austin/Travis County Mental Health Jail Diversion Task Force; members include: Austin Police Department, Austin/Travis County MHMR, Downtown Austin Community Court, Rio Grande Legal Aid, Texas Council on Offenders with Mental Impairments (TCOOMI), Travis County Attorney’s Office, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Travis County Sheriff’s Department.

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Substance Abuse

Purpose: To develop an effective service delivery system to improve substance abuse resources and services for people with criminal histories

Goals:

1. Strengthen partnerships with and between correctional institutions and community-based substance abuse providers.
2. Create an Access to Recovery (ATR) Work Group within the Substance Abuse Planning Partnership (SAPP) to encourage full utilization of federal funding, as well as to enhance the number of providers on the ATR network.
3. Study the feasibility of creating a single state RFP process for all substance abuse treatment opportunities and make recommendations to the appropriate persons and agencies.

Key Partners:  Substance Abuse Planning Partnership; members include: Austin/Travis County MHMR, Phoenix House, Travis County Juvenile Probation, Travis County Drug Court, Community Action Network, LifeWorks, YWCA

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Victims Issues

Purpose:  To holistically support and prepare victims of crime for the reentry of offenders into our community

Goals:

1. Strengthen partnerships with victim service provider organizations and the Travis County Victim Services Task Force
2. Develop the victim component of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office RAVE program to include a wraparound program to ensure victims receive services and develop a safety plan prior to offender’s release
3. Integrate victims’ issues into the work plans of each Reentry Roundtable committee.

Key Partners:  RAVE Task Force; members include: Austin SafePlace, Austin/Travis County Victims Services Task Force, Bridges to Life, Texas Council on Family Violence, TDCJ-Victims Services, Travis County Juvenile Probation.

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