LEAD stands for Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion programs, and it works pretty much the way it sounds: An officer might meet someone in the community who has a small amount of narcotics on them — just enough for personal use. And instead of taking them to jail, they give them contact info for social workers with the diversion program. If they make the first meeting, they don’t get charged with a crime.
The program recently got an infusion of funding from Governor Josh Stein, which will benefit the programs with the Fayetteville Police Department, Albemarle Police Department, Gaston County Police Department, Greensboro Police Department and Community Safety Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and Harnett County Sheriff’s Office.
The goal is to offer a helping hand without applying too much pressure. Jamie Melvin is the Justice Services Director at Coastal Horizons, which runs the LEAD program in Wilmington. She agreed that this is a bridge someone struggling with addiction can’t burn down.
"Our doors are open, and the hope is that they're not ready today, that they will be tomorrow or a year from now, or two years from now, and they still know they can come back and access that care," Melvin said.
LEAD offers these new clients clothing, access to housing in a halfway house, detox services, and connections to any other services they may need in town. If they’re getting medication-assisted addiction treatment, LEAD will give them rides to their appointments. If they are facing a barrier, LEAD tries to tear it down.
It’s been a very successful model for years, but the new influx of funding will help Melvin work more closely with Wilmington Police, whereas they’ve primarily worked with the Sheriff’s Department in the past.
It can also help save someone from becoming justice-involved at a young age, which can help their entire life's trajectory. That's according to Billy McGowan, who works with LEAD at Coastal Horizons, who spoke about one participant in their late teens.
"They were involved in a traffic stop, and I want to say it was a very small amount of schedule two and paraphernalia were found on them," McGowan said.
That teenager was given 14 days to report to the program, or they would face legal consequences.
"They reported to us the next day and began working with our peer support and our team. And this charge was diverted, or the DA agreed to dismiss it," McGowan said.
Beyond that first meeting, there's no mandate to continue meeting with the LEAD team. But clients often do stick around. McGowan said that traffic stop happened a year and a half ago, and they're still working with the client today.
A Duke University analysis of LEAD programs in North Carolina found that they're very effective at connecting clients to services.
"Service use increased substantially in the 12 months following program enrollment—only 34% of participants had used any behavioral health service in the 12 months before enrollment, while 71% of participants did in the 12 months after enrollment," he said.
Duke's analysis also found that clients who engaged with LEAD at a medium or high rate saw a substantially lower rate of arrests and charges than in the time before they engaged with the program.
The N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition is heading up the grant, and that means the entire program is focused on harm reduction. Rather than forcing participants into treatment, it meets them where they are — whether that's enrolling in rehab, joining a halfway house, or just accessing clean needles. In New Hanover County, they'll be able to add another staff member, increase referrals, and work more closely with the Wilmington Police Department.
The grant looks a bit different in each community, but always with the same aim: to expand access to these harm reduction programs, and help individuals struggling with addiction stay safe and well, regardless of where they are in recovery.
