Press release from Buncombe County:
The Buncombe County Behavioral Health Justice Collaborative (BHJC) is looking for community members who have been impacted by the justice system to participate in an advisory group. If you have experienced any of the challenges below, the BHJC welcomes you to share your insight and participate in creating ideas and strategic initiatives to better serve our county.
-Have you interacted with law enforcement during a time of personal crisis?
-Have you or a loved one been charged or incarcerated due to experiencing a behavioral health challenge like a mental health crisis or substance use disorder?
-Have you or a loved one received services for mental health crisis, harm reduction, opioid use, or support for alcohol or other drug use?
-Do you want to help shape how our community responds to these types of needs?Background
The BHJC’s purpose is to act as an advisory working group to the Justice Resource Advisory Council by increasing coordination and collaboration between Buncombe County Government, local governments, and community partners around efforts that intersect behavioral health and justice services. This body seeks to channel the right resources to the right place at the right time in response to behavioral health needs like substance use and harm reduction in the community with the goal of promoting public safety and improving outcomes for those in need.
Meetings currently occur on the first Friday of each month from 10 a.m.-noon, in downtown Asheville with parking validation provided.
Interested in applying? Applications are due by Oct. 9, 2022. See below for requirements and information on how to apply.
Application information
Those applying will be prioritized if they fall into the experienced categories below. The goal is to have a diversity of perspectives and expertise:
-Justice involvement (previously charged, convicted, or incarcerated)
-Behavioral health involvement (mental health and/or substance use, and/or previous history with institutional commitment)
-Family member of a justice involved and/or behavioral health-involved personBHJC community members commit to participating in BHJC activities for a one-year term.
Click here to apply.
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