The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Gives Multnomah County $241,613 to Help Troubled Youth

PORTLAND, Ore. - Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, today awarded Multnomah County's Department of Community Justice a $241,613 grant to improve substance abuse treatment and other services for young people in trouble with the law.

"America's juvenile justice system faces a public health crisis," says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "As many as four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system each year have an alcohol or drug problem. Even though research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money, and builds stronger communities, the vast majority of young offenders receives no treatment."

"We want to change this," says Nissen. "The grants we are awarding today will create plans for model programs in Multnomah County and elsewhere in the United States to show how we can reinvent treatment, judicial and social services to meet this urgent need."

Multnomah County's project, called Multnomah Embrace, proposes to serve about 240 young offenders annually with substance abuse problems beginning in 2003. The grant is one of 11 totaling $2.59 million awarded to communities nationwide to plan new treatment and other services for delinquent youth.

"The need for Multnomah Embrace is clear," says Joanne Fuller, director of the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice. "We know that kids who abuse alcohol and drugs are more likely to behave violently, break the law, or end up in court. We also know that alcohol and drug abuse is a major health problem among juvenile offenders in Multnomah County."

An annual study by the National Institute of Justice found that the number of young people in Multnomah County who tested positive for drugs quadrupled from 12 percent in 1992 to a record level of 53 percent in 2000. A 1999 survey of youth on probation in Multnomah County revealed that 34 percent used alcohol or drugs three or more times per week, and 23 percent used them daily.

"Kids in Multnomah County's juvenile justice system with substance abuse problems don't always have the services needed," says Dianne Linn, Chair of the Multnomah County Commission. "As a result, many find themselves in trouble with the law again and again."

"This grant will help Multnomah County mitigate the costly cycle of substance abuse and delinquency," says Multnomah County Chair Dianne Linn. "We need to invest in the lives of these young people. We are thrilled to have the support of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help us accomplish this."

Multnomah County's Department of Community Justice was one of 280 applicants. Over the next five years, Multnomah Embrace proposes to introduce strengths-based practices into probation and treatment services, create an integrated case management system for young people on probation, and develop a strategy to mobilize the community to make a difference in kids' lives.

Beginning this month, juvenile court judges and officers, law enforcement officials, treatment professionals, and civic, youth and family leaders in Multnomah County and the 10 other communities will spend a year planning the programs. In four following years, communities can apply for up to $250,000 annually to implement plans.

Reclaiming Futures officials say judicial leadership will play a critical part in these efforts and up to two local judges in each community will participate in a two-year fellowship. Elizabeth Welch, chief family judge of the Multnomah County Circuit Court, will represent Multnomah County in the national fellows program.

Reclaiming Futures is a five-year $21 million initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was established as a national philanthropy in 1972 and today is the largest U.S. foundation devoted to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org.

Portland is one of ten communities in the nation selected today to receive a $100,000 grant from Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The funds are intended to provide more effective drug and alcohol treatment for local teenagers in the juvenile justice system.

“It's no secret that teens with drug or alcohol problems are more likely to end up in trouble with the law,” says Benjamin Chambers, project director for Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace, which partners with more than 39 organizations, agencies and community groups to improve the quality of alcohol and drug treatment services available to youth in the county's justice system . “This money will let us adopt cutting-edge treatment techniques that can help our young people overcome the cycle of substance abuse and crime.”

One of the ways Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace will use the funds is to hire a consultant to assess the degree to which Multnomah County treatment agencies are involving families, since research shows family involvement in therapy is critical to an adolescent's success. Together, the consultant and agencies will implement adolescent treatment protocols that build on current family involvement and make it a key part of treatment. By encouraging families to interact with counselors and increasing family members' attendance at treatment sessions, parenting skills groups and family therapy sessions, teens in the justice system will have better outcomes in treatment and be much less likely to re-offend.

The grant is the latest national investment in a five-year initiative that brings together local courts, businesses, civic groups, schools and others to improve drug and alcohol treatment, expand and coordinate social services, and find jobs, volunteer work and other opportunities for teens in trouble with the law. In 2002, Reclaiming Futures awarded Multnomah County $1.25M to reinvent the way the community responds to teenagers involved with drugs, alcohol and crime .

As many as four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system nationally each year have an alcohol or drug problem. “ Unfortunately, most don't receive treatment and what treatment there is needs to be more responsive to the needs of youth. Treatment has traditionally been designed for adults, and we're still learning how to make it work for teens,” says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, which awarded the $100,000 grants to Portland and nine other communities. “Today's grant gives Multnomah County the opportunity to test promising practices that could make a positive difference in the lives of these teens. Treatment experts around the country are watching this experiment with great interest.”

“Substance abuse treatment is one of the smartest public safety investments we can make,” says Julie Dodge, service director for prevention and youth addiction services at Tualatin Valley Centers, one of the largest providers in the Portland area . “Research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money and builds safer communities.”

Multnomah County is home to 64,000 youth between the ages of 10-17. The number of these teens who were arrested in Multnomah County and also tested positive for drugs quadrupled from 12 percent in 1992, to a record level of 53 percent in 2000. A 1999 survey revealed that 34 percent of youth on probation in Multnomah County used alcohol or drugs three or more times per week, and 23 percent used them daily.

Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. A five-year, $21 million initiative launched by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Reclaiming Futures promotes new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice for young people with drug and alcohol problems. For more information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org . The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was established as a national philanthropy in 1972 and today is the largest U.S. foundation devoted exclusively to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2006
Contact: Benjamin Chambers
503-988-4516/ benjamin.s.chambers@co.multnomah.or.us

Judges Call for Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse

A report by a team of judges recommends judicial action to help teens in trouble with drugs and alcohol avoid a life of crime

Portland, OR (October 27, 2006) – A national group of judges is recommending that judicial officers nationwide take a more active role in helping youth in the juvenile justice system overcome their drug and alcohol problems. The team is part of the Reclaiming Futures program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The judges issued their call to action as part of their jointly written monograph A Model for Judicial Leadership; Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse. The report was just published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in its Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3.

"Research shows that teens who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in the justice system, where treatment services are often unavailable or uncoordinated," said Laura Nissen, Reclaiming Futures national program director. "We believe these young people deserve appropriate screening, treatment, care and community support, and that judges have the knowledge, influence and obligation to drive this change."

The judicial monograph, written by a team of judges with extensive experience in juvenile justice, outlines practical steps for other judges to follow in order to build a collaborative model for change within their own juvenile justice systems. These steps include inviting and convening stakeholders to participate; identifying the needs for youth services; achieving consensus; focusing on performance measures and outcomes; educating the judiciary and public; partnering with the community; and listening to youth.

The report concludes with 10 recommendations for judicial action, such as: judges must ensure youth in the system are screened and assessed; judges must be educated on the current state of practice in the substance abuse field; and judges must help identify or create positive pro-social influences for youth such as mentors, jobs or volunteer opportunities. The guide, intended for use by judges, court administrators, government entities, community leaders and interested citizens, will provide a blueprint for judges so they can take concrete actions to improve the juvenile and family court system.

A Model for Judicial Leadership can be read in its entirety at http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/resource.asp?rcid=5 or in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3.

Reclaiming Futures is a $21 million initiative located in the 10 communities of Anchorage, Alaska; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; three counties in Eastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. In its fourth year, early research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program has significantly improved the coordination of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services in its 10 communities.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. The mission of Reclaiming Futures, a $21 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is to promote new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice. It is housed in the Regional Research Institute for Human Services of the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. For additional information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

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Program that helps teens in trouble with drugs, alcohol and crime wins top state honor

Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace campaign receives award from Governor's Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse Programs

Portland, OR (December 19, 2006) – The Oregon state Governors Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse Programs today awarded Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace with the Clark Campbell Media Award for education and reducing alcohol and other drug abuse problems.

Multnomah Embrace earned the recognition for its "When You Were 15" campaign which works to increase community understanding of teen challenges and encourage adults to become a positive influence in their lives. The campaign includes a published book, radio spots, a Web site, posters, and bus ads; and has garnered favorable media coverage from area newspapers, television and radio stations.

The campaign includes stories from local celebrities, including Art Alexakis of the rock band Everclear, Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams, African drummer Obo Addy, Portland Schools Superintendent Vicki Phillips and others who talked about their own lives at 15 (which were often challenging), and the adults who helped them.

As part of this campaign, Multnomah Embrace has formed partnerships with three mentoring organizations: Big Brothers/Big Sisters Northwest, Oregon Mentors and Powerhouse Mentoring Program. Multnomah Embrace has also collaborated with Write Around Portland, a local arts program, to produce and publish the book, as well as provide a series of writing workshops for youth in juvenile detention, residential alcohol and drug abuse treatment and community service programs.

Most people can think back to a time in their teenage lives when they were having a tough time and recall one adult who had a particularly positive influence them," said Benjamin Chambers, Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace project director. "Reclaiming Futures wants to encourage people to return the favor by mentoring a youth in trouble that needs help."

Mentors are still being recruited for this ongoing campaign. People interested in becoming a mentor can find more information at www.whenyouwere15.org.

Multnomah Embrace is one of 10 communities in the nation funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Reclaiming Futures initiative to help teens in the juvenile justice system overcome the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. In addition to providing quality drug and alcohol treatment for these teens, a key element of the Reclaiming Futures model is to engage community members to serve as mentors and natural helpers, and provide more opportunities to engage in healthy, positive community and social activities.

Reclaiming Futures is a $21 million initiative located in Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; three counties in Eastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. In its fifth year, early research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program has significantly improved the coordination of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services in its 10 communities. It is housed in the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. For additional information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

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Department of Community Justice

Office of the Director

501 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Suite 250
Portland, Oregon 97214
(503) 988-3701 phone
(503) 988-3990 fax

Contact: Robb Freda-Cowie (503) 988-5820; cell (503) 706-4869

January 12, 2007

MEDIA ADVISORY

What: Answering the call to serve in honor of the memory of Martin Luther King, Portland Trail Blazers and youth on juvenile probation will talk about the keys to success in life while they team up to prepare a meal for homeless Portlanders.

The event is part of the county's "When You Were 15" campaign, an effort to inspire more adults to provide positive support to youth who are struggling with drugs and alcohol and who have been in trouble with the law. (For more information about "When You Were 15," go to www.whenyouwere15.org)

When: Monday January 15, 2007 at 2:00-3:00 pm.

Where: Blanchet House, 340 NW Glisan Street

Who: Trail Blazers Jamaal Magloire, Travis Outlaw, Ime Udoka, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge and youth who are turning their lives around through Multnomah County's Reclaiming Futures project.

Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler will also attend to show support for youth who are changing their lives and to encourage more adults to volunteer time with teens who need support.

Tiffiney Hendon, a Reclaiming Futures graduate who was a methamphetamine user at fifteen, will be available to talk about the county's Reclaiming Futures program and how two supportive adults helped her overcome drug dependence.

Why: There are many ways to help a teen who is struggling with life's challenges. Sometimes all it takes is some casual conversation and spending time with a teen doing fun and rewarding activities like volunteering.

On Monday afternoon at Blanchet House, five Portland Trail Blazers will show that a little time with a supportive adult can make a big difference to a troubled teen.

Multnomah County's Reclaiming Futures program is designed to improve outcomes for teens who are at-risk for drug use and crime. The Reclaiming Futures program launched "When You Were 15" to encourage more adults to get involved in the lives of at-risk youth.

Fifteen is the average age of a youth in the juvenile justice system. A major risk factor for many teens who use drugs or commit a crime is the lack of a caring and supportive adult in their lives.

"When You Were 15" is being carried out in partnership with the Portland Trail Blazers, Write Around Portland, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Portland, Powerhouse Mentoring, Oregon Mentors, Entercom Radio and the Multnomah County Library.

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Multnomah County's Reclaiming Futures Project And Reclaiming Futures' national office (Located at Portland State University) Win renewed Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Support

Foundation cites success in helping local teens break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime.

Portland, OR (February 20, 2007) -- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced its board has approved funding to support the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice's Reclaiming Futures initiative, for two more years. The goal of Reclaiming Futures is to improve access to treatment for drug-involved youth who have been in trouble with the law.

Ten communities have piloted Reclaiming Futures across the nation, including Multnomah County. Over the past five years, each of these communities reported significant improvements in the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services, according to research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children.

RWJF also approved funding for a national expansion of the Reclaiming Futures initiative, citing the program's success in getting more services to teens in the justice system who are struggling with drugs and alcohol. Reclaiming Futures national office is located at Portland State University.

Overall, the RWJF board approved $6.5 million to support 10 pilot sites for two more years, which includes Multnomah County, and to help additional new sites implement the Reclaiming Futures model over the next four years. The expanded effort also will create a national resource center to provide data, case studies and other information to even more communities seeking to improve drug and alcohol services for justice-involved youth.

"By spreading Reclaiming Futures across the country, we are creating a national movement that can make a vital difference in the health of youth and their families," said Kristin Schubert, RWJF program officer for Reclaiming Futures. "During the past five years, we have created a new national standard of care in juvenile justice. These pilot communities are leading the way."

The Reclaiming Futures model combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teens in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol. Teens who enter the justice system with serious drug and alcohol problems rarely receive treatment, even though research shows that young people who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in trouble with the law, behave violently, or drop out of school.

Key elements of the Reclaiming Futures model include screening and assessing teens for drug and alcohol problems; assembling a team to develop a personal care plan; training drug and alcohol treatment providers in evidence-based practices that work with teens; providing family support; and involving community members as mentors and role models to provide the support teens need.

Beginning in 2002, 10 communities, including Multnomah County, helped create and test the Reclaiming Futures model. The other nine communities are: Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; four counties in Southeastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington.

Steve Liday, interim Director for the county's Department of Community Justice said, "Delinquent teens are more likely to be dependent on drugs than their peers. Reclaiming Futures has helped us improve our ability to identify teens who need alcohol and drug abuse treatment, and lower the risks they pose to themselves and the community."

Reclaiming Futures will invite applications from communities interested in participating as one of the new pilot sites. Successful applicants will be selected in the summer of 2007 and will receive technical assistance, on-site coaching, educational materials and invitations to national conferences and workshops. Application forms will be posted on the Reclaiming Futures Web site in late spring.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that offers a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. Reclaiming Futures is housed in the Graduate School of Social Work at the Regional Research Institute at Portland State University. To learn more, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

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