By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
REcently the Defender ran an article entitled “Come to the table and shift your lens.” The piece was an encouraging story of the UC Resident’sProgram and how a conversation between Danielle Poe, Adams County Director of Behavioral Health, and Judge Brett Spencer started a ball rolling that caused nationwide observance. Chelsea Blevins, Adams County Chief Probation Officer, says that the meeting prompted “Operation Better Together”. She shared, “Judge said, ‘teach me – tell me what I’m missing here.’”
It was an excellent opportunity for Poe and Judge Spencer to learn more about each other’s jobs and devise a plan. More and more people grabbed chairs among them, Debora Plymail, Adams County Director of Ohio Means Jobs. Plymail explained that OMJ obtains special grants, and the agency collaboration gave them all education, information, and resources that enabled the program’s success. Blevins said, “We were working siloed, so we coexisted, but we never actually had that communication. I think the start was when the two of them sat down, and then the three of them sat down, and I joined – we said, ‘let’s look at this through each other’s lenses.’” It’s what my hubby calls ‘Cross Functional Collaboration.’” Blevins shared that she sees things differently than a year ago and believes the change is because they became involved with other agencies. She stated, “I never thought I could call Ohio Means Jobs and say, ‘Hey, I have a convicted felon over here. Can you help get them a job?’” She reported that they have more people on probation employed than ever.
Last week, Poe, Blevins, and Plymail presented their program to the American Association of Health and Human Services Attorneys (AAHHSA). Plymail explained that The Association contacted The Ohio Department of Child and Family Services about some special grants awarded by the Department of Labor. Held in Columbus, Ohio, this year, The National Conference was seeking out exemplary recipients to present. After contacting the Director of Ohio’s Job and Family Services, he referred the Association to the special grants unit to choose sub-recipients to deliver presentations on their programs.
Plymail stated, “We have contracts with the court, health department, and children’s services to fill some gaps that they had because of the opioid or substance abuse issue in the state, and then in our county, they had some gaps in their staffing. So, we did contracts to fill those gaps.” She continued, “Operation Better Together started that more intentional collaboration and sharing services.” Knowing the efforts of Adams County, the special grants unit recommended that Adams be a county to present.
Blevins reported that the presentation began with an overview of how Operation Better Together formed, but the primary part of the presentation revolved around the 210 Program. As summarized in earlier articles, Judge Spencer implemented the 210 Program after being inspired by an individual’s progress from the first time they met and after seven months (210 days). The goal is that an individual can step out of jail with a job and home ready for them. They will participate in counseling and peer support and connect to a faith-based community.
Blevins explained, “We were able to present to them how it’s beneficial on every side. For the individual, it’s beneficial because their individual needs are assessed. It’s beneficial for probation because we’re giving them opportunities, but we still have skin in the game afterward to hold them accountable. For the defense attorneys, it’s another argument, ‘Give my person this shot. If you don’t want to let them out and you don’t want to send them to prison, let’s try 210. Let’s get them a chance to function as successful citizens of society,” Blevins said; the three shared the stages of the program, the hard parts when it hadn’t been successful, and the learning curves. She stated, “Even with the unsuccessful ones, lessons were learned. It’s a beautiful thing even when it’s not a beautiful thing.” Plymail piggybacked, “Life has its ugly moments, and we just have to remember that.”
Another significant portion of the presentation focused on the inability to implement 210 and programs like it without funding from Ohio Means Jobs. Blevins stated, “Not only do they have funding to help people with work experience, but they also have funding to help us create positions to help people.” She elaborated on the effectiveness of peer supporters like Tara England and Brandon Perry and Ricky Yates, who is in training. Attendees at the conference referred to our Adams County presenters as “Champions” and inquired how they could start a program like this in their states and counties.
Plymail and Blevins want local businesses to know they need “fair chance” employers. They realize that folks often need more than a second chance when working their way through the process. The Adams County Jail and the Health Department hired folks in the 210 Program. Blevins stated, “We want to ask businesses to give people a fair chance, but to do that, we must do it. You can’t ask someone to do something you are unwilling to do yourself. And if they are on probation, they have extra accountability. Employment is the key to everything.” Operation Better Together has fostered an inspiring trust between agencies. Blevins said, “It’s a warm handoff. We’re trusting that they (other agencies) will help take care of that individual, so it becomes almost like family, and some of these people don’t have families.
Blevins said that Operation Better Together brought them all together. The Courts, Probation, Ohio Means Jobs, the Health Department, Treatment Facilities, Counseling Centers, ABCAP with Headstart and other home relief, Help Me Grow, Homeless Shelters, OSU Agriculture Extension, Schools, Healthsource, and more, are growing bigger each month. Meetings are on the last Tuesday of every month. Agencies and folks are welcome to reach out for location and time – they’ll make space. Plymail shared, “We added a tagline to Operation Better Together – “a movement towards prosperity.” She stated, “It’s relationship building – a more intentional way of collaborating, and we know we can count on each other. This group is not one agency, not one person, not one thing. This movement is growing in our community, and I foresee it being here for a long time.” Blevins added, “It gets a little complicated in the judicial world. It depends on judges and prosecutors. We’re very fortunate here.”
When people are part of the solution, they tend to own the outcome and the result is better. Operation Better Together has continuously operated intending to make lives better. The tagline focuses on prosperity encompassing the mind, body, spirit, emotional, financial, and relationships. Nationwide they are asking how to implement and make successful a program that started in our small neck of the woods. Blevins humbly shares, “One of the guys said that it was the best presentation, and I was thinking, ‘WOW.’” It seems apparent the achievements here come from hearts of humility. Rabindranath Tagore said, “We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.” When asked about their most significant takeaway from the conference, Plymail stated, “Adams County, with a little over 28,000 in population, can do great things.” Blevins added, “It was humbling and reinforcing to know that we are making change – what we are doing is a big deal.” Plymail continued, “And being called a champion was nice.”
Plymail refers to the adage, “there is no I in team,” and Blevins readily asks, “What’s next? We’re ready to keep going.” Operation Better Together – you are the CHAMPIONS – my friends. Thank you for representing Adams County so well.