I’m proud to report that the Reentry and Supports Subcommittee, created jointly by the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board and our trusted partners, is celebrating its first anniversary. To date, the subcommittee has nearly doubled in size from 24 to 45 and has distributed more than 5,000 substance-use disorder services resource cards throughout the community. We worked with Miami University of Ohio to identify re-entry services gaps. Our group has developed new ways to share resources and we’ve added partners from a variety of sectors including criminal justice, housing, behavioral health and workforce development.
We are just getting started.
The Reentry Supports Subcommittee is an outgrowth of the Butler County Prevention Coalition and Addiction Taskforce. The Taskforce, which is chaired by the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board, the Family and Children First Council, and the Butler County General Health District, formed to foster collaboration between our agencies so we can reduce substance use in our community.
A gap became clear: A lack of coordinated support for residents transitioning back into the community after release from jail or prison.
The subcommittee was formed with guidance and partnership from the Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board, 4/7 Ministries, and Butler County Harm Reduction. Our goal is to reach the people who need to be at the table, so each month, we hold meetings at different locations across Butler County to ensure accessibility, inclusion, and shared ownership of this work.
Butler County has excellent substance use and mental health services in our jail. Every person entering the Butler County Jail is screened for mental health and substance use needs, and upon release they are connected to community providers—many of whom now actively participate in the Reentry and Supports Subcommittee.
We are building stronger connections within the reentry community. Meeting participants share the needs they are seeing, and committee chairs select monthly spotlight speakers from different sectors to address those gaps. Topics have included housing, mental health and substance use treatment, employment, education, and access to basic resources such as obtaining a GED, high school diploma, or college coursework. Recently, representatives from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) Reentry team shared promising initiatives designed to better support individuals returning to Butler County.
Returning home from prison, being released from jail, or having a conviction on one’s record does not define a person’s worth or potential. Butler County is moving in the right direction, but there is still meaningful work ahead. The Reentry and Supports Subcommittee meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month, and community members, providers, and partners are encouraged to attend and be part of the solution.
Anyone interested in attending or supporting the Butler County Reentry and Supports Subcommittee can contact Rachel Canepa at the Butler County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services Board Office at 513-860-9240.
Rachel Canepa is the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Committee’s Grant Project Coordinator. She represents the Board on the Reentry Supports Subcommittee.
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