In the heart of Multnomah County, local officials are swiftly moving forward with plans to operationalize a deflection center aimed at shifting the focus from arrest to treatment for drug possession. According to KATU News, with a deadline of September 1 on the horizon, Multnomah County selected Tuerk House, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, to spearhead this initiative. Despite the urgency, specifics on how the success of the program will be measured and how it will function remain up in the air.
This development comes in response to a state mandate that aims to pivot away from incarceration towards treatment options for those accused of small-scale drug possession. "How we sent it is that these are the things that we have agreement on, who would be eligible for deferral when we talk about what success looks like," Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson told KATU News, indicating a broad framework is in place while acknowledging that engagement strategies are still under development.
The new deflection center is set to be located at 900 S.E. Sandy Blvd., as reported by The Oregonian. Tuerk House, which opened Maryland’s first crisis stabilization and sobering center in the 1970s, is slated to manage the center under a two-year agreement with the county. This pivotal partnership is expected to draw on Tuerk House’s extensive expertise in addiction treatment to implement the new program.
Yet not all county commissioners are aligned with the current trajectory of the program. Commissioners such as Julia Brim-Edwards and Sharon Meiran have voiced concerns over the preliminary details of the deflection program, particularly regarding the $2 million contract and the lack of robust planning for mandatory treatment. "How can we describe successful deflection as one that actually does not result in somebody who wants or needs treatment not getting it?" Brim-Edwards expressed in a discussion covered by KOIN. The contention centers on a sobering center planned to open in two years, which some commissioners argue should take precedence right now.
As Multnomah County moves to adapt to the new drug possession law effective September 1, local government officials are to meet more frequently with hopes of clarifying lingering questions about the efficacy and criteria of the deflection program. With the clock ticking towards the deadline, the future of the program's implementation remains a point of significant local debate and interest.
