Project VISION

Description

In recent years, opioid distribution and substance use have been hitting rural communities hard. Increased use of heroin and misuse of prescription medications have led to an increase in crime and a decrease in many neighborhoods' quality of life. Rutland, Vermont, is working to save a 12-block area within the Northwest neighborhood through a coalition called Project VISION.

Instead of just making more arrests to combat the increase in crime, Project VISION has been working since 2012 to address the underlying issues of crime, such as mental illness, poverty, and substance use. The VISION Center is located on the second floor of the Rutland City Police Department in order to increase collaboration among law enforcement, health and social services, and other community leaders.

Project VISION boasts over 450 volunteers donating their time and resources to make their community healthier and safer. This coalition includes volunteers from already existing organizations such as:

• Businesses
• City of Rutland
• Colleges and schools
• Faith-based groups
• Health service agencies
• Local, county, state, and federal agencies
• Probation & Parole Department
• Social services
• Community members

Project VISION has two committees:

• Community Building and Neighborhood Engagement
• Health

In 2014, the City of Rutland and the Rutland Redevelopment Authority received a $1.25 million Vermont Community Development Program grant, used by NeighborWorks of Western Vermont (NWWVT) to raze or rehabilitate blighted housing and to encourage residents to become homebuyers. NWWVT is a member of NeighborWorks America, working in collaboration with Project VISION committees to coordinate community development and organize events in neighborhoods.

Services offered

The Rutland City Police Department identified one commander as Project VISION's executive director to show a commitment to community engagement and the solving of serious issues related to opiate use. In addition, the police have increased their presence in Rutland's Northwest neighborhood through directed patrols, park/walk/talk to engage neighbors on an equal footing, and delivery of custom notifications to drug traffickers living in the neighborhood.

In 2014, a large number of arrests were made for drug offenses. This effort was a collaboration with the Vermont Drug Task Force. Offenders who sold heroin were either sent to Federal Court or Vermont District Court. About 7 offenders – identified as non-violent and only using drug sales to survive – were selected for Drug Treatment Court, and all but one accepted. Since Rutland uses the Drug Market Intervention (DMI) model, the arrestees were invited to a modified "call-in" with an influential adult (such as a relative or caring friend) and, after receiving community and social services messages, they received a message from the Police Chief. Upon completion of the program (average length of one year), the offender would receive misdemeanor charges for drug possession instead of felony drug sales charges.

Project VISION supported the opening of the West Ridge Center, which treats over 925 patients with opioid use disorder. Through the center's hub-and-spokes model, patients receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT) at the hub and buprenorphine treatment at a spoke doctor's office. The hub provides wrap-around social services in addition to group and individual counseling.

In addition, Project VISION, through its community work, hosts or supports events such as block parties to encourage a sense of neighborliness and community pride. Project VISION depends on the generosity of organizations, businesses, and individuals to be able to offer small "pearl" grants. Local individuals or organizations looking to assist Project VISION can receive these grants of up to $1,000 for new programs or for activities in collaboration with new partners.

The Rutland City Police Department have partnered with the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services and hired a full-time Human Trafficking Case Manager who is providing direct service case management to human trafficking victims in southern Vermont.

Results

Since 2014, Project VISION has:

• Cleaned front porches and built planters for Northwest neighborhood homes
• Continued work to increase owner-occupied homes from 32% to 50%
• Added a Counter Drug Analyst to assist the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Community Response Team
• Reduced recidivism to 26% for offenders who volunteered to meet with one of three Re-Entry Panels
• Initially reduced the total number of burglaries by 60% over 3 years. Now, the community is experiencing a 56% reduction overall since 2013.
• Created a Youth Opportunities Scholarship to provide financial assistance to youth wanting to participate in activities like sports and theater
• Added a substance use counselor as an embedded partner in the Probation & Parole offices
• Saw 101 providers attend open forum meetings called the Coffee Klatsch
• Installed 2 drop boxes for prescription drugs
• Collected and properly disposed of 550 pounds of unused medication

Challenges

Choose established or promising program models that you are able to teach your team, committee, and/or community.

Add a researcher to your team. Project VISION discovered that a University of Miami researcher lived in their community. From this researcher, program members learned where to find resources and models and how to use a logic model to focus on outcomes, time and task responsibilities, and other related activities.

Look for early successes to celebrate. Some volunteers and other program members will be looking for immediate results, so ask them to take ownership of short-term outcomes. Publicly give credit to the "doers" and their organization(s).

Let volunteers have ownership. If some volunteers' plans don't match your own, let them choose their own team, set their own outcomes, build a budget, and manage their project. This type of ownership helps volunteers feel appreciated, brings in new ideas, and delegates the work.

Remember that change requires collaboration. Everyone needs to be in the same book and on the same page.

Replication

Instead of a governance board, Project VISION identified a Chair, Executive Director, and committee chairs. Each committee identifies 3-5 outcomes per year and creates an annual report to post on Project VISION's website. Project VISION is not a 501(c)3, instead enlisting a qualified nonprofit as its fiduciary agent.

Project VISION received DMI training from Michigan State University and works directly with the National Network at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Contact Information

Gregory Sheldon, Executive Director
Project VISION
Gregory.Sheldon@vermont.gov