Safe Havens: A Supportive Housing Model for Chronically Homeless Individuals with Substance Use and/or Behavioral Health Concerns
2022-05-05 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Learn about the recently opened Safe Havens program in Greenfield serving residents of both Franklin and Hampshire counties, featuring:
*Dan Sontag, Greenfield Site Director, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
*Jennifer LaRoche, Vice-President, Acute & Day Programs, Clinic & Support Options (CSO)
*Kristin Smith, Greenfield Director of Crisis Services, Clinical & Support Options (CSO)
*Toni Diaz, Program Director, Safe Havens, Franklin County
Register for this free event, here.
According to the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, “Safe Havens are a “Housing First,” supportive housing model that provides an alternative to shelter placement. The program is designed to serve hard-to-reach individuals who are chronically unhoused and often have disabling mental health and substance use conditions. Safe Havens serve a population that is chronically homeless, often with significant behavioral health conditions. They’re among the highest users of emergency departments, hospital beds, and emergency medical services, and have high rates of involvement with police and the justice system. Many have not been well served by the shelter system, due to past histories of trauma and safety concerns.”
This session is co-hosted by the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region and the North Quabbin Community Coalition.

Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2022-05-09 13:00 - 14:30
This meeting is open to the public. Please email info@opioidtaskforce.org for the details on how to participate.

Education and Prevention Committee Meeting
2022-05-10 09:30 - 11:00

West County: Weaving a Safety Net: Creating a Vision for Emergency Shelter Services
2022-05-11 15:30 - 16:30
The North Quabbin Community Coalition and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region (Opioid Task Force) are convening a series of Visioning Sessions to occur in May to examine the year-round needs of unhoused individuals in the only federally-designated rural county in the Commonwealth. This is especially important as research reveals that a disproportionate number of unhoused individuals also suffer from substance use and/or mental health disorders.
These gatherings, “Weaving a Safety Net: Creating a Vision for Emergency Shelter Services for Unhoused Individuals in Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region”, will allow a broad range of community members to share their hopes, dreams, and aspirations to create a trauma-informed and responsive system to support those who are unhoused across the 30-communities we serve all year-round. Your input will be used to inform the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development Individual Homelessness Service System Request for Responses, due July 1, 2022, which is working to ensure that “homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring.” (For more information about this procurement, refer to this link https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo….)
The information gleaned from these Visioning Sessions will also be used to help determine potential, future next steps of the North Quabbin Community Coalition’s Housing Task Force and the Opioid Task Force’s Housing & Workforce Development Committee. They are charged with implementing a set of strategic activities to support those who are unhoused with a history of substance use disorders and/or incarceration.
The Visioning Sessions will occur in May as follows, focusing on the unique needs of the different regions within the 30-town region we serve:
*West County Visioning Session – Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM, via Zoom, focusing on the communities of Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Rowe, and Shelburne.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZEsd…
*North/Central County Visioning Session – Monday, May 16, 2022, 11:00 AM – 12 Noon, via Zoom, focusing on the communities of Bernardston, Gill, Greenfield, Leyden, Montague, and Northfield. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZAkdeCrqz4oHNTwZuSagtmofkPPk…
*South County Visioning Session – Monday, May 23, 2022, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, via Zoom, focusing on the communities of Conway, Deerfield, Leverett, Shutesbury, Sunderland, and Whately. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZUsfu2gqjIuHtdEcyilJlo6…
*North Quabbin/East County Visioning Session – Tuesday, May 24, 2022, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM, Hybrid Meeting at the Athol Town Hall, 584 Main Street, Athol, MA, focusing on the communities of Athol, Erving, Orange, New Salem, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Warwick, and Wendell. If you cannot attend in person, you can attend via Zoom. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZYkd…
Can’t make any of these sessions? Don’t fret! You can share your thoughts via this survey, which you can find here: https://forms.gle/Pig7iEXfmjTfjqDK6.
Please submit your responses no later than Wednesday, May 25, 2022, by 5 PM.

Questions? Please email info@opioidtaskforce.org or info@nqcc.org.

Methadone Workgroup Meeting
2022-05-12 15:00 - 16:00, 2022-06-09 15:00 - 16:00, 2022-07-14 15:00 - 16:00

North/Central County: Weaving a Safety Net: Creating a Vision for Emergency Shelter Services
2022-05-16 11:00 - 12:00
The North Quabbin Community Coalition and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region (Opioid Task Force) are convening a series of Visioning Sessions to occur in May to examine the year-round needs of unhoused individuals in the only federally-designated rural county in the Commonwealth. This is especially important as research reveals that a disproportionate number of unhoused individuals also suffer from substance use and/or mental health disorders.
These gatherings, “Weaving a Safety Net: Creating a Vision for Emergency Shelter Services for Unhoused Individuals in Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region”, will allow a broad range of community members to share their hopes, dreams, and aspirations to create a trauma-informed and responsive system to support those who are unhoused across the 30-communities we serve all year-round. Your input will be used to inform the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development Individual Homelessness Service System Request for Responses, due July 1, 2022, which is working to ensure that “homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring.” (For more information about this procurement, refer to this link https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo….)
The information gleaned from these Visioning Sessions will also be used to help determine potential, future next steps of the North Quabbin Community Coalition’s Housing Task Force and the Opioid Task Force’s Housing & Workforce Development Committee. They are charged with implementing a set of strategic activities to support those who are unhoused with a history of substance use disorders and/or incarceration.
The Visioning Sessions will occur in May as follows, focusing on the unique needs of the different regions within the 30-town region we serve:
*West County Visioning Session – Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM, via Zoom, focusing on the communities of Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Rowe, and Shelburne.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZEsd…
*North/Central County Visioning Session – Monday, May 16, 2022, 11:00 AM – 12 Noon, via Zoom, focusing on the communities of Bernardston, Gill, Greenfield, Leyden, Montague, and Northfield. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZAkdeCrqz4oHNTwZuSagtmofkPPk…
*South County Visioning Session – Monday, May 23, 2022, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, via Zoom, focusing on the communities of Conway, Deerfield, Leverett, Shutesbury, Sunderland, and Whately. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZUsfu2gqjIuHtdEcyilJlo6…
*North Quabbin/East County Visioning Session – Tuesday, May 24, 2022, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM, Hybrid Meeting at the Athol Town Hall, 584 Main Street, Athol, MA, focusing on the communities of Athol, Erving, Orange, New Salem, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Warwick, and Wendell. If you cannot attend in person, you can attend via Zoom. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZYkd…
Can’t make any of these sessions? Don’t fret! You can share your thoughts via this survey, which you can find here: https://forms.gle/Pig7iEXfmjTfjqDK6.
Please submit your responses no later than Wednesday, May 25, 2022, by 5 PM.

Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training
2022-05-17 17:30 - 19:00, 2022-06-24 11:00 - 12:30
Please join us at this virtual community overdose prevention training to learn how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose. Participants will also learn how to administer Narcan, a lifesaving opioid overdose reversal drug. This training is free and open to all interested community members.
Register here!

Invisible Ties That Bind: Understanding Trauma Bonding in Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking
2022-05-19 14:00 - 15:00
Join us Thursday, May 19, 2022, from 2 PM – 3 PM, as we continue to learn about the complex topic of human trafficking and sexual exploitation and its impact, featuring Dr. Abigail Judge. You can register for this free event, here.
Commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) frequently occurs in relationships of coercion, trauma bonding, and fierce emotional attachment. Understanding these relationships is critical to healing but can be a source of confusion, frustration and burn-out among service providers. This presentation will focus on the complex psychological relationship between individual and exploiter, and describe how professionals can build relationships of trust and mutuality when CSE is ongoing or historical. Since victims and survivors are unlikely to initially self-identify as exploited, or use these clinical terms, a specialized approach to creating shared language and engaging individuals at different phases of CSE will also be described.
After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:
~Apply theories of grooming, seasoning and trauma bonding to CSE to help improve clinical practice and reduce provider fatigue
~Name two strategies for creating shared language and supporting individuals who do not identify their situation as exploitative
~Anticipate two unique safety concerns in forming therapeutic relationships with individuals involved in the sex trade and ways to manage these relationships
Abigail Judge Ph.D. is a clinical and forensic psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and in private practice, and she is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Judge’s hospital-based clinical work, scholarship, and teaching focus on improving the clinical response to women impacted by the continuum of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. Dr. Judge has worked with this population as a therapist, educator, court-appointed evaluator, and expert witness since 2009.
This is part of the Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Education Series.

Healthcare Solutions Committee Meeting
2022-05-20 10:00 - 12:00

South County: Weaving a Safety Net: Creating a Vision for Emergency Shelter Services
2022-05-23 13:00 - 14:00

East County/North Quabbin: Weaving a Safety Net: Creating a Vision for Emergency Shelter Services
2022-05-24 17:30 - 18:30 | Athol Town Hall, 584 Main Street, Athol, MA, 01331, United States

Four-Part Training Services for Behavioral Health Clinicians about Commercial Sexual Exploitation with Dr. Abigail Judge
2022-06-01 09:00 - 10:30, 2022-06-08 09:00 - 10:30, 2022-06-15 09:00 - 10:30, 2022-06-22 09:00 - 10:30
Please join us as we will be working with Dr. Abigail Judge starting Wednesday, June 1st, 9 AM – 10:30 AM. This is the first of a four-part training series developed especially for behavioral health providers to learn how better support survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. You can register for this free series, here. The remaining sessions are scheduled for June 8, 15, and 22, from 9 AM – 10:30 AM, via Zoom
Commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) frequently occurs in relationships of coercion, trauma bonding, and fierce emotional attachment. Understanding these relationships is critical to healing but can be a source of confusion, frustration, and burnout among service providers.

These sessions will go in-depth to focus on the complex psychological relationship between individual and exploiter and describe how professionals can build relationships of trust and mutuality when CSE is ongoing or historical. Since victims and survivors are unlikely to initially self-identify as exploited, or use these clinical terms, a specialized approach to creating shared language and engaging individuals at different phases of CSE will also be described.

Abigail Judge Ph.D. is a clinical and forensic psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and in private practice, and she is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Judge’s hospital-based clinical work, scholarship, and teaching focus on improving the clinical response to women impacted by the continuum of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. Dr. Judge has worked with this population as a therapist, educator, court-appointed evaluator, and expert witness since 2009.

At MGH, Dr. Judge leads MGH Connect: A Project for Outreach and Recovery, which provides low threshold – that is more easily accessible and acceptable – psychological and peer support for women at the intersection of substance use and commercial sexual exploitation/sex trafficking, and is based at the MGH Bridge Clinic. In 2021, this project received a grant from the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General to expand access for BIPOC women through survivor mentoring and engaging women detained at the Suffolk County House of Correction.

Harm Reduction Workgroup Meeting
2022-06-01 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-07-06 11:00 - 12:00

Section 35: Helpful or Harmful?
2022-06-02 14:00 - 15:00
Join us as we explore Section 35, a civil court process allowable under Massachusetts General Law, by which individuals can be committed involuntarily to addiction treatment by a “qualified petitioner”, such as blood relatives, spouses, doctors, or law enforcement.
Some argue that Section 35 is a violation of one’s civil rights and that addiction treatment should be provided in a community-based setting, while others claim that Section 35 saved their lives when no other intervention worked.
Learn more about this complex issue, with featured speakers:
*Dr. Elizabeth Evans – Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts-Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences
*Rose Evans – Senior Vice-President, Behavioral Health Network
*Dr. Ruth Potee – Medical Director of Addiction Services, Behavioral Health Network
*Dr. Jennifer Fyler – Director of New View, Behavioral Health Network (Women-only program)
You can register for this free event, here.

Treatment and Recovery Committee Meeting
2022-06-03 10:00 - 11:30, 2022-07-08 10:00 - 11:30

Public Safety and Justice Committee Meeting
2022-06-06 13:00 - 14:30
Please join us for the Public Safety & Justice Committee meeting. Please email info@opioidtaskforce.org for the Zoom link to attend.

Housing & Workforce Development Committee Meeting
2022-06-10 10:00 - 12:00
This meeting is open to the public. Please email info@opioidtaskforce.org for details on how to participate.

Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2022-06-13 13:00 - 14:30, 2022-07-11 13:00 - 14:30

CAM Workgroup Meeting
2022-06-14 11:00 - 12:00

CORI Expungement and Sealing: A Primer with Community Legal Aid
2022-06-16 14:00 - 15:00
Join Community Legal Aid Staff Attorney, Alyssa Golden, as she walks through the steps to expunge marijuana offenses and seal or expunge other offenses. Criminal records (CORIs) are often accessed by employers, housing authorities, and other entities. Individuals who have CORIs often find themselves facing significant barriers to access to housing and employment due to CORI issues.
Participants will learn how:
*The CORI system works
*To obtain a copy of your CORI records
*To learn the steps to seal or expunge records
*To learn about your legal rights under the law
You can register for this free event, here.

Reinventing Justice: A Look at the New Office of Community Corrections
2022-07-07 14:00 - 15:00
Join us as we learn more about the newly opened Office of Community Corrections, located at 106 Main Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts, managed by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. You can register for this free event, here, to learn more.

This effort will offer a range of programs and resources for formerly incarcerated individuals in a trauma-informed setting.
Featuring:
*Levin Schwartz, LICSW, Assistant Deputy Superintendent, Clinical and Reentry Services
*Nicole Guertin, LICSW, Clinical Reentry Supervisor
*Jen Brzezinski, LCSW, Clinician
