Since the March 2023 groundbreaking, the City of Atlanta has made significant progress toward construction of the new Center for Diversion and Services.  The Diversion Center is an evidence-backed, collaborative project supported by core partners including Fulton County, Grady Health System (Grady), the Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative (PAD), Georgia Justice Project (GJP), and many other partners and community members.  Construction activities thus far have included demolition of necessary spaces within the 254 Peachtree St., SW building and build-out of new spaces for guest drop-off, initial peer reception and consultation, basic medical care, laundry and personal item storage, bathrooms and showers, case management, sobering and respite, and meals.  Efforts have also included initial drywalling, plumbing, electrical work, and purchase of furniture and network infrastructure.  The links below show recent construction photos and future renderings, which provide core partners’ vision for Diversion Center guest flow and scope of services once operational.

View recent construction photos here and future renderings here.

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As noted below, the Diversion Center will offer 24/7 pre-arrest law enforcement drop-off at the 254 Peachtree St., SW building for individuals experiencing concerns related to homelessness, mental health, problematic substance use, and/or extreme poverty.  Aiming to reduce arrest and jail and empower individuals with tools and resources to move forward positively, Diversion Center guests will be welcomed by a peer-led team and receive a holistic, person-centered set of services.  Services will include, among others, mental and physical health assessments, basic medical care (with transportation to Grady’s main campus for acute needs), sobering and resting spaces, and access to food, clothing, bathrooms, showers, and laundry services.  PAD peer navigators will also co-create long-term care plans for guests outlining access to a wider range of on- and off-site services, some of which will include legal navigation (including outstanding warrant resolution), housing support, substance use and/or residential treatment, job-related resources, and more.

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Core partners, including Grady, serving in its capacity as Diversion Center operator, continue progress toward ensuring a successful opening, including:

• Renewing the City of Atlanta-Fulton County Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for an additional four years (2024-27), which commits both entities to shared Diversion Center funding and other supports;
• Hiring a Diversion Center Director and organizing spring 2024 job fairs for hiring additional administrative, clinical, and peer Diversion Center staff;
• Collaborating with PAD and the Atlanta Police Department to develop training curricula and additional activities to raise officer awareness of Diversion Center services, including spring and summer 2024 Diversion Center tours;
• Supporting GJP’s ongoing Warrant Resolution Clinic operations, which include establishing processes to quickly resolve outstanding warrants for Diversion Center guests;
• Strengthening relationships with off-site community providers that will receive warm Diversion Center guest hand-offs for services such as housing;
• Awarding local artists contracts to create an external mural and curate internal artwork after an open and competitive selection process; and
• Finalizing on-site operational protocol and standard operating procedures.

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Additionally, the Justice Policy Board (JPB), which was established through the IGA noted above, continues providing guidance toward Diversion Center development (through its Operations Committee) and seeking opportunities to expand similar arrest and jail alternatives across metro Atlanta (through its Vision Committee).  The JPB will ultimately review Diversion Center reporting to deepen impact and improve services over time.  The JPB is a multi-stakeholder board consisting of government, community, and other stakeholder and partner members who volunteer their time and meet quarterly.

View all JPB meeting minutes, presentations, and other documentation here.

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Current estimates project the Diversion Center opening its doors in fall 2024, with an official ribbon-cutting event planned for summer 2024.

Please stay tuned here and on City of Atlanta and core partner social media channels for continued updates.

Thank you to all partners for their continued support!

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On Friday, March 31, core Atlanta stakeholders — including Fulton County, the City of Atlanta, Georgia Justice Project (GJP), Grady Health System, the Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative (PAD), and Bloomberg Associates — broke ground on the future site of the Center for Diversion and Services. The groundbreaking marks the beginning of Diversion Center construction, which will take place over the next year. It also represents continued collaboration among partners to expand existing pre-arrest diversion services as a core strategy in reducing the number of people in our community in need of behavioral health services, housing or other basic resources, thereby increasing overall community safety and wellness. The Diversion Center will be operated by Grady Health System and is expected to open in 2024.

View this video for more information.

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“There are challenges our communities face — like substance abuse, mental health issues, housing and economic challenges and more — that you cannot arrest your way out of. Rather than perpetuate an endless cycle of incarceration for quality of life hardships, the Center for Diversion and Services will serve as a resource to connect people to the support and services they need to address the long-neglected underlying issues that have caused many of their encounters with law enforcement,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

View the full groundbreaking press release here.

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As noted below, the Diversion Center will offer 24/7pre-arrest law enforcement drop-off for individuals experiencing concerns related to homelessness, mental health, substance use, and/or poverty and will be located within the 254 Peachtree St., SW building.  Aiming to reduce arrest and jail and empower individuals with tools and resources to move forward positively, Diversion Center guests will be welcomed by a peer-led team and receive a holistic, person-centered set of services.  Some of those services will include mental and physical health assessments, basic medical care (with transportation to Grady’s main campus for acute needs),sobering and resting spaces, and access to food, clothing, bathrooms, showers, and laundry services.  Guests will also work with PAD peer navigators to create a long-term care plan outlining access to a wider range of on- and off-site services, some of which will include legal navigation (including outstanding warrant resolution), housing support, substance use and/or residential treatment, job-related resources, and more.

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View all renderings, including the Diversion Center floor plan, here.

View the City of Atlanta Instagram post here.

Thank you to all partners for their continued support!

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Continuing progress toward development of the Center for Diversion and Services, Grady Hospital was recently selected to operate the Diversion Center on a 24/7 basis.  Grady will collaborate with core partners including the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia Justice Project (GJP), and the Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative (PAD).

 The Diversion Center will offer 24/7 pre-arrest law enforcement drop-off for individuals experiencing concerns related to homelessness, mental health, substance use, and/or poverty and will be located within the 254 Peachtree St., SW building. Aiming to reduce arrest and jail and empower individuals with tools and resources to move forward positively, Diversion Center guests will be welcomed by a peer-led team and receive a holistic, person-centered set of services.  Some of those services will include mental and physical health assessments, basic medical care (with transportation to Grady’s main campus for acute needs), sobering and resting spaces, and access to food, clothing, bathrooms, showers, and laundry services.  Guests will also work with PAD peer navigators to create a long-term care plan outlining access to a wider range of on- and off-site services, some of which will include legal navigation(including outstanding warrant resolution), housing support, substance use and/or residential treatment, job-related resources, and more.

 Grady, serving as the operator, will manage the Diversion Center on a daily basis, including coordination of the above services among all on- and off-site partners.  Grady was selected after a months-long open and competitive procurement process, which included an evaluation team of partners and subject matter experts from the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, and other relevant organizations and service providers.  The Atlanta City Council adopted a resolution confirming Grady as the operator on January 3, 2023.  Grady will provide regular impact and performance reports to the Diversion Center’s oversight body, the Justice Policy Board.

The Diversion Center is slated to open in spring 2024, with construction beginning by March 2023. Throughout 2023, Grady will lead continued Diversion Center pre-opening development, including developing a Warrant Resolution Clinic (in close partnership with GJP), training law enforcement and Diversion Center staff, finalizing on-site operational protocol, building out a case management system, collaborating with the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs on indoor and outdoor public art, overseeing construction and landscaping, and establishing an off-site referral network.

 Stay tuned for additional updates in the coming months!

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Through collaborative efforts, the City of Atlanta and Fulton County recently established a strategic partnership that will create and fund a 24/7 pre-arrest Center for Diversion and Services.  The Diversion Center will serve people experiencing concerns related to homelessness, mental health, substance use, and poverty and will be a drop-off point for law enforcement and other first responders.  In the past, individuals experiencing such concerns would normally be taken to a jail or hospital emergency room.  Instead, peer specialists at the Diversion Center will address immediate needs such as food and showers, while partner agencies (such as the Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative (PAD) and Grady Memorial Hospital (Grady)) will provide physical and mental health screenings, basic first aid, and connections to housing, health care, and other stabilizing resources.  The Diversion Center will also offer a place for sobering and offer care navigators to provide ongoing case management and warrant resolution.

The partnership to create and fund the Diversion Center is detailed in a joint Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) approved in November 2021 by the Atlanta City Council and Fulton County Board of Commissioners.  The City of Atlanta, with the help of the Georgia Power Foundation, will cover the estimated $3 million cost to build-out the Diversion Center at 254 Peachtree Street and will split the estimated $5 million annual operating costs with Fulton County. The Georgia Power Foundation has granted $100,000 towards capital costs.

The Diversion Center is modeled after successful and innovative reforms seen in many regions across the country, such as Houston, Texas.  Representatives from the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, Grady, PAD, and others traveled to Houston in August 2021 to visit Harris County’s diversion center.  The Harris County Mental Health Diversion Center has reduced new jail stays by 50 percent for people who entered the diversion center for the first time.  Further, for every dollar spent on diversion, Harris County avoided spending $5.54 on criminal legal system costs.

While this first step establishing the Diversion Center is crucial, this partnership will also focus on continuing to transition away from jail and police responses and building a comprehensive infrastructure system, or “continuum of resources,” for people with behavioral health concerns in the Atlanta metro area.

The Policing Alternatives & Diversion (PAD) Initiative has expanded citywide to provide an immediate alternative to arrest for individuals committing violations commonly related to mental health needs, addiction, homelessness or extreme poverty.

PAD accepts diversions from law enforcement as well as community referrals through the ATL311 non-emergency services line. PAD response teams will travel to the area to offer immediate assistance to the referred individual, and longer-term support for those who may need it.  Services are available Monday-Friday between 7am-7pm.

Atlanta Police Department officers in all Zones may divert individuals to PAD instead of booking into ACDC or Fulton County jail, if the officer determines the law violation is related to a behavioral health need or extreme poverty.

To make a referral to PAD, residents may dial 311 or 404-546-0311 between the hours of 7am – 7pm, Monday through Friday, to speak to a live agent. If caller information is provided, the caller will receive a follow-up call within 48 hours with an update on the actions taken.

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The City of Atlanta and the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) are partnering to launch 311 Community Referral Services.

Beginning on Monday, January 25, residents in APD Zones 5 and 6 can call 311 regarding non-emergency areas of concern related to substance use, mental health, and/or poverty. Click here to find out if your address is in one of these eligible zones. We will add additional APD Zones over the next six months and expect to be citywide by June 2021.

The goal of 311 Community Referral Services is to address public order issues by directly engaging individuals, offering immediate resources, and providing assistance navigating social services in order to address the root cause of the concerns. This partnership advances the City of Atlanta’s commitment to public safety by investing in responses that solve quality of life challenges.

ATL311 will take constituent calls Monday through Friday, 7am to 7pm, and will dispatch PAD Harm Reduction teams or identify other appropriate social service resources. When PAD’s Harm Reduction team arrives, they will offer individuals immediate resources, transportation, and coordination of services including short-term case management and housing if needed.

PAD Harm Reduction Teams are not mobile crisis teams and do not respond to medical or mental health emergencies, but will assist with accessing these resources if the need arises when on-site. Examples of non-emergency quality of life concerns that are eligible for Community Referral Services include:

• Disturbances (such as someone yelling outside a business or blocking traffic)
• Welfare (such as someone asking for food or help)
• Mental health (such as someone who appears disoriented, erratic, or is talking to themselves)
• Basic needs (such as someone in need of shelter and sleeping outside)

For more information, visit atlantapad.org.

On January 21, Mayor’s Office staff presented to City Council during a Public Safety Committee Work Session to discuss a justice reform plan of action and Department of Corrections redeployment plan. The Administration’s goal is to make the city safer and more equitable by implementing some commonsense justice reforms that will align functions with current and future needs and allow closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC). To achieve this goal, Mayor’s Office staff outlined a five-point plan for reform:

1.      Expand diversion offerings and implement changes to APD policies and practices to reduce arrests for municipal code offenses.

2.      Update the city code in phases to remove incarceration as a penalty for certain municipal code offenses and place a stronger emphasis on community service.

3.      Renovate the Municipal Court to support improved booking and processing of any arrests.

4.      Build space at the proposed new Public Safety Training Academy to accommodate the needs of the PAT3 program and to support the finalized plan.

5.      Close ACDC, finalize decisions on repurposing the facility and/or land, and begin the process to implement the vision for Centers of Equity.

The COVID-19 pandemic created economic pressures for local and state governments nationwide, with reduced revenue projections compared to the months before the pandemic and the need to conduct budget conversations virtually.

Despite the major challenges posed by COVID-19, the Mayor’s budget continues to increase equity across communities, expand opportunities to address the needs of our most vulnerable residents, and provide relief and recovery assistance to those affected by the pandemic. Mayor Bottoms’ FY21 Budget continues to build on her equity and justice reform agenda by:

• Beginning the process to reprogram resources from the City jail to expand community-based services
• Expanding the pretrial diversion program citywide to reduce incarceration and increase equity and opportunities
• Increasing funding for the Atlanta Citizens Review Board
• Increasing funding for the independent Office of Inspector General

The Reimagining Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) Task Force submitted to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms its Final Report on recommendations to close and reimagine the use of the Atlanta CityDetention Center.

The report reflects the collaborative efforts and thought leadership of local community members, stakeholders and experts who worked over the past year to develop recommendations to transformthe Atlanta jail. The facility stands to serve as a beacon of change and a vibrant hub of services that offer equitable opportunity and resources to Atlantans and communities which have been disproportionately impacted by over-incarceration and systemic racism.

The recommendations in the Task Force Report includes four design proposals, over 10 City and State statute amendments, and four focused service areas.

The Reimagining ACDC Initiative reflects a best practice model for collaborative strategic problem solving and community-driven approaches to addressing mass incarceration, systemic racism,and growing inequality among marginalized communities.

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The ACDC, located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia atPeachtree Street NW and Memorial Drive SW, is an 11- story, 471,000 square footactive detention and arrest-processing center. Construction of the current ACDC facility occurred in 1995 and thebuilding has the capacity to detain approximately 1,300 individuals. As of May2020, the average daily population of detainees was less than 50 because ofMayor Bottoms’ and community-led successful efforts to decriminalize severallow-level offenses; launch and build out the pre-arrest diversion initiative; reformmunicipal cash bail; and end a long-term contract with U.S. Immigration andCustoms Enforcement.

In May 2019, Mayor Bottoms signed legislation authorizingthe closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center and standing up a Task Forceto provide preliminary recommendations for the initiative. It is a top priorityof Mayor Bottoms to put this underutilized facility to more productive use as amultifaceted center for wellness and healing, skills-building, economicmobility, and crime prevention for people, families and communities impacted bythe history of over-incarceration. By converting this space, the City ofAtlanta seeks to invest in people to break the cycle of poverty while at thesame time improving public safety practices and opportunities that reducerecidivism and re-build lives.

Mayor Bottoms issued an Administrative Order to establish a process to restrict the records of offenses for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana or other minor offenses from public view and would only be accessible to law enforcement for criminal justice purposes. Numerous studies have shown a direct correlation between the expungement of marijuana records and an increase in wages.

Beginning in March 2010, the City of Atlanta entered into an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service to house ICE detainees within the Atlanta City Detention Center. In response to the Trump Administration’s enforcement of zero-tolerance immigration policies that resulted in the separation of hundreds of families at the United States/Mexico border, the Bottoms Administration temporarily halted the detention of ICE detainees until a permanent solution was identified.

Mayor Bottoms signed an Executive Order directing the Chief of the Atlanta City Department of Corrections to take the necessary action to permanently stop receiving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees under an agreement with the United States Marshals Service.

Preparing Adult Offenders through Treatment and Therapy (PAT3) is a groundbreaking reentry program in partnership with the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, the Atlanta Department of Public Works, and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. The PAT3 program is available to non-violent detainees – men with children – who are near the end of their jail sentences and provides them with job skills and the financial-management tools necessary to rejoin society in a positive way. Upon their release, the program places them in jobs, with full health benefits, at the City of Atlanta.

Requiring cash bail before an initial court hearing can result in extended detention for individuals who cannot afford it, even though they have not yet been convicted of a crime. This detention can have a significant impact on people’s lives, affecting their ability to maintain jobs and their homes, especially for low-income residents.

This ordinance eliminates cash bonds to secure release from the City of Atlanta Detention Center following an arrest for violation of city ordinances.