South County Reentry Resource Center Grand Opening

County of Santa Clara inaugurates a permanent center that offers services to individuals in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin who are reentering their communities after incarceration

WHAT:

The County of Santa Clara Office of Reentry Services invites the media to attend the grand opening of its new South County Reentry Resource Center. The remodeled center is located at 8425 Murray Ave., near Highway 101 and Leavesley Road in Gilroy. Since April of 2015, reentry services were offered on a limited basis at a temporary location in San Martin.

For many individuals coming back to their South County communities after incarceration, it was a significant hardship getting transportation to San Jose to have access to reentry services. The Gilroy Center offers similar services as the Reentry Center in San Jose. Clients will have access to substance use screenings and assessments, behavioral health, primary healthcare, and psychiatric services through the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s Mobile Medical Unit. They will also receive probation support and faith-based services, such as food, housing and community connections.

Media representatives will be able to tour the facility. County of Santa Clara Supervisor Mike Wasserman, local community leaders, service providers and Reentry clients will talk about the new Center and will be available for interviews.

WHO:

Supervisor Mike Wasserman, County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, District 1
Miguel Màrquez, County of Santa Clara Chief Operating Officer
Javier Aguirre, Director, County of Santa Clara Office of Reentry Services
Reentry Center clients

WHEN:

April 24, 2018
Program starts at 11:00am

Open House from 10:00am to 1:00pm

WHERE:

South County Reentry Resource Center
8425 Murray Ave., Gilroy, CA 95020

WHY:

The South County Reentry Resource Center was established in San Martin in April of 2015 as a pilot program. The center was created in response to concerns from residents, city officials and public safety officers in jurisdictions such as Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill. There were high arrest and conviction rates in these areas for low level offenders who had been recently released from custody or were serving the remainder of their sentences under mandatory supervision by probation departments.

Many individuals coming out of incarceration do not have the resources they need to address substance use, healthcare and behavioral health issues. They also struggle to find housing and employment, among other essential needs.

REENTRY RESOURCE CENTER HISTORY

In 2011, California’s Public Safety Realignment Act (AB 109) was passed to reduce overcrowding in California’s prisons. Commonly referred to as ”Realignment,” this legislation shifted the responsibility of incarcerating and supervising lower-level, nonviolent offenders from the state level to the county level. Now, felons who commit non-violent and less serious offenses serve their sentences in county jails, instead of state prisons, and are supervised by local probation departments, instead of parole. To assist the counties with taking on this challenge, funding was allocated to each local jurisdiction, and each county was tasked with determining how to distribute the funds most effectively. The County of Santa Clara used part of its funding to establish the Office of Reentry Services in 2011 and the Reentry Resource Center in 2012.

ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA

The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, the fifth largest county in California. With a $6.5 billion budget, more than 70 agencies/departments and 20,000 employees, the County of Santa Clara plans for the needs of a dynamic community, offers quality services, and promotes a healthy, safe and prosperous community for all. The County provides essential services including public health and environmental protection, medical services through Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, parks, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and scores of other services, particularly for those members of our community in the greatest need.

Visit us at: http://www.sccgov.org

Media Contact: María Leticia Gómez/Marina Hinestrosa, Office of Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119.

Posted: April 19, 2018

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