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TREASURE COAST HOMELESS SERVICES COUNCIL, INC.CONTINUUM OF CARE Exhibit 1 : Continuum of Care — Discharge Planning Policy Instructions Discharge Planning Policy Narrative Describe what your CoC has achieved worldng with the appropriate local and State governments to ensure that a discharge policy for persons leaving publicly funded institutions or systems of care is being developed and implemented to prevent the discharge of persons from immediately resulting in homelessness and requiring assistance from homeless programs. The CoC now has a tri-county Pre-Release Discharge Planning Process in place. The Program operates in the Coc' s three County Jails. The tri-county Pre-Release Discharge Planning Process is a cooperative program which is staffed and funded by the Public Defender' s Office and the Sheriffs Departments of all three Counties. The program targets inmates who are homeless or who may become homeless and provides them with a Life Skills Re-Entry Program to reduce recidivism, increase their levels of community skills, and secure stable housing and employment in the community upon release. Intake Specialists in each of the jails establish Individual Re-Entry Plans including a housing and job development component. The Intake specialist is responsible for securing emergency funds and other resources for the inmates and to find appropriate housing prior to release. This Pre-Release Discharge Planning Process is part of a larger effort of the CoC Law Enforcement Committee for Discharge Planning. The larger effort also includes a Mental Health Jail Diversion Program targeted to mentally ill homeless people, usually those who are chronically homeless. This Diversion Project is designed to avoid arrests for minor misdemeanors, including conducting life sustaining activities. This project creates a team consisting of two officers per shift in three major jurisdictions who would use unmarked cars and plain clothes to intervene and transport clients to treatment rather than jail. The Project trains road officers and correctional officers to avoid arrest and incarceration of homeless mentally ill persons . Officers are trained by New Horizons of the Treasure Coast to use appropriate interventions, including the Baker/Marchman act, de- escalation of behaviors and making referral to New Horizons of the Treasure Coast for voluntary treatment. Individuals for whom this diversion is not successful will be assessed within 72 hours in the jail and charges will be dropped or prosecution deferred by judges who will make court ordered referrals to treatment . To address the housing and treatment needs of this population, the CoC is proposing to renovate an existing residential facility for use as long term housing and supportive services beds for this client population, until suitable alternatives can be found. There are no other publicly funded institutions or systems of Care in our CoC geographic area. Form HUD 40076 CoC-D