AUGLAIZE COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - They have seen a need and the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office is taking a step towards addressing it.
Auglaize County Sheriff Mike Vorhees has announced the creation of A.C.A.R.T., the Auglaize County Addiction Response Team. It's a program to provide the resources for a person to get clean before they land in a legal battle. They are contracting with a peer support person that has recovered from addiction to work with these individuals. The department received a $26,000 grant from the state for A.C.A.R.T.
"Using these funds from the state to maybe go out and just get people that need help. Give them a boost into recovery. We're not counselors, we're just a peer support to give them the options. Is this your time that you need help? Is this your time that we can lead you in the right direction?" explained Sheriff Mike Vorhees, Auglaize County.
The jail is also getting ready for a renovation that will add thirty beds to the facility. Many of those housing females, along with beds in a newly created mental health and medical area.
"We don't have a good area for mental health and medical.These are going to be two areas for males and females so we can really focus on giving them the treatment. We put them in there, they're detoxing from drugs, from alcohol, we want to bring them back where they can be treatable," added Sheriff Vorhees.
The project is estimated at 4.5-million dollars with a 2 million dollar grant from the state. Construction should begin in January and completed within a year.
