TASC’s Center for Health and Justice (CHJ) has been providing training and technical assistance (TTA) to the Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) Minnesota Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI) program since 2022. This includes facilitating bi-weekly program meetings and support for grant management, program design, planning, and implementation.
In June of 2024, MARI requested more hands-on TTA to prepare for their no cost extension application and planning for what action steps would be needed during that additional year, if awarded. In response to this request, CHJ staff conducted confidential interviews with each MARI partner agency to better understand the progress MARI has made since its launch, what changes each partner would like to see, and to identify any challenges that should be addressed.
Additionally, CHJ distributed a survey to evaluate partners’ perceptions of how well MARI has implemented the Five Critical Elements of Deflection. This was ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing excellence.
CHJ staff planned an onsite visit to gather MARI leaders in person to strategize future direction of the program. On 10/1, staff arrived in Minneapolis and met Twin Cities Recovery Project (TCRP) at the Safe Station to take part in outreach in the area and meet their local community partner at So Low Groceries. On 10/2, CHJ staff facilitated an in person meeting with the grantee and their agency partners from TCRP and YourPath. During this meeting, TCRP reviewed year to date data and CHJ staff facilitated discussion of the results from our TA interviews and surveying to identify challenges and resolutions. Concerns that were addressed included streamlining communication between agencies, refining workflows (ex: pinpointing where they needed further assistance concerning a participant’s mental health and were not sure what agency they should turn to), additional resources the program can tap into, and the logistics of expanding MARI to another fire station. On 10/3 CHJ staff met with MFD and TCRP to spend the morning looking at potential fire stations to expand to. Of the three that were visited, Station 7 was identified as the best fit for expansion since it is located in a high need area and has the space to accommodate MARI services. Going forward, CHJ will continue to assist the MARI program with planning and implementation of their grant objectives to operate the Safe Station in more locations and service the community via Safe Places. CHJ staff will continue to update TA recommendations and action plans as needed for MARI.
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Please submit a signed letter of support from your agency’s executive or other senior staff member. The letter can be emailed to or uploaded with this request. The letter should be submitted on official letterhead and include the following information:
- General information regarding the request for TTA services, i.e., the who, what, where, when, and why.
- The organizational and/or community needs specific to the request for TTA services.
- The benefits or anticipated outcomes from the receipt of TTA services.
By submitting this application to BJA NTTAC, I understand that upon approval of this application for TTA, the requestor agrees to keep BJA NTTAC informed of any circumstances that may impact the delivery of the TTA, including changes in the date of the event, event cancellation, or difficulties communicating with the assigned TTA provider.
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