Orange County NC Website
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78 <br /> 2. Project Narrative <br /> A. Assessment of Community Need (16 points, page limit: not to exceed 1% pages) <br /> Drug addiction often increases the likelihood of continued criminal activity, with high <br /> rates of relapse and recidivism among drug-involved offenders. More alarmingly, an <br /> individual's death within the first two weeks of release from incarceration is more than <br /> 12 times higher than other individuals. (news.unchea/thcare.org). Multiple studies have <br /> consistently shown that drug overdose is more common when a person relapses after a <br /> period of abstinence. These statistics are individual lives that could potentially be saved, <br /> or diverted from ongoing justice system involvement, with proper screening and referral <br /> to substance misuse treatment that begins during incarceration and continues without <br /> lapse upon release. <br /> According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations' Index Offenses by Agency <br /> by County, 2023, the Orange County Sheriff's Office reported a total crime index of 508 <br /> offenses, with 56%for larceny, 18%for burglary, and 8%for motor vehicle theft—Class H <br /> or I offenses. The same report shows that Chapel Hill reported 1803 offenses, with 70% <br /> for larceny, 12%for burglary, and 11%for motor vehicle theft. Hillsborough reported 485 <br /> offenses, with 84%for larceny and Carrboro reported 556 offenses with 67%for larceny. <br /> Furthermore, 2023 data pulled from the North Carolina Injury and Violence Prevention <br /> Branch shows the estimated Illicit Opioid Overdose rate in Orange County is 65.6% of <br /> overdose deaths. This rate is considered a high rate in the state of North Carolina. This <br /> rate is also a 3% increase over the previous year. In addition, the rate of children in foster <br /> care due to parental substance misuse in Orange County was 72.8%of children in 2023. <br /> This rate is among the highest rates seen in NC even though it is 1% lower than the prior <br /> year. <br /> These numbers, combined with the alarmingly high mortality rate among justice- <br /> involved individuals, highlight the immense need for continued substance use <br /> treatment, especially during and immediately following incarceration. For the greatest <br /> impact we believe treatment that begins as early as booking and continues <br /> uninterrupted after release could have the greatest impact. We based this assessment <br /> on the North Carolina Injury and Violence Prevention Branch report which states that <br /> the number of people accessing Treatment Services in Orange County was 336.6 out of <br /> 100,000 residents in 2023, representing 507.0 uninsured people and Medicaid <br /> beneficiaries who received treatment for their Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). This is an <br /> increase from the 461 uninsured people and Medicaid beneficiaries who received <br /> treatment for their Opioid Use Disorder(OUD) in 2022 which represented a rate of 306.8 <br /> out of 100,000 residents. <br /> Freedom House Recovery Center (FHRC) proposes to continue our partnership with the <br /> Criminal Justice Resource Department (CJRD) on Lantern Project, serving as the primary <br /> 1 <br />