Counties in South Dakota play an integral role in the health and welfare of citizens. The services provided by the county include rent assistance, assistance for those experiencing homelessness, and financial assistance for utility bills and hospital bills, to name just a few. In Minnehaha County, our Human Services and Jail were seeing a trend of the same people coming in for services or returning to jail. These “familiar faces” became a point of emphasis and prompted the development of unique programs. Minnehaha County partnered with the National Association of Counties Familiar Faces Initiative to better serve the high-need residents of our community.
Leaders in the health and justice communities began to notice that individuals released from jail were often returning to jail – but the cause was unclear. After looking closely at the issue, they found there was a lack of available resources for individuals being released from jail. To help ease this transition, the Minnehaha County Human Services Department developed the Alliance Reentry Program (Alliance). Alliance provides intensive case management for individuals on a voluntary and referral basis. The Alliance staff develop relationships with clients, determine their needs, connect them to employment, housing, and other critical services. The Human Services staff went a step further to develop the Coordinated Assessment Reentry Team (CART) which meets weekly to identify potential clients and connect them with the services they need to be successful.
While reentry support is vital, Minnehaha County recognized we had a limited ability to support individuals who experience behavioral health emergencies and substance abuse disorders. A unique collaborative partnership between Minnehaha County, Sanford, Avera, and the City of Sioux Falls produced a community triage center named The Link. This project was supported through grant funding from the MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge. The Link opened in 2021 and in its first six months, supported residents with 2,332 triages with 20 percent of clients accepting referral to other services.
Partnering with the MacArthur Foundation has been vital in producing improved outcomes for reintegrating justice-impacted individuals back into our community. Minnehaha County was recently selected as one of four communities to participate in the launch of the Just Home Project. Just Home is designed to improve access to housing for those who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. The Just Home Project is in its early planning stages, but is an exciting opportunity for our county to continue to be a national leader in improving the lives of our citizens. Early intervention and support for those in need are proactive ways the county is working to maximize tax payer dollars.
