Project ACTION meeting well attended

Local agencies have teamed up with the Springfield Police Department to create Project ACTION, a group that is based on Rutland’s Project VISION, which helped Rutland to address its drug and addiction issues.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/project-action-meeting-well-attended

Project ACTION Meeting Well Attended Submitted by VT Journal on Mon, 01/26/2015 - 4:26pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT -In recent years, drugs and addiction in Vermont have been in the forefront of the news. Nearly all residents of Springfield are familiar with the 2012 and 2014 shootings that took place in town. As a result of these events, many community members have called for action to be taken to address the growing drug and gang related violence that has happened in town. Though there are still ongoing problems, local agencies have teamed up with the Springfield Police Department to create Project ACTION, a group that is based on Rutland’s Project VISION, which helped Rutland to address its drug and addiction issues. The first Project ACTION meeting was held Tuesday, January 20 at the Nolin Murray Center in Springfield. Representatives from HCRS, town officials, Springfield Medical Care Systems, Turning Point and a variety of other community leaders were in attendance at the meeting. Congressman Peter Welch’s office, and Senator Bernie Sanders’ office and Senator Patrick Leahy’s office were all represented and numerous members of the Springfield Police Department attended the meeting as well. According to Vice-chairperson and Springfield Family Center Director Stephanie Thompson, Project ACTION began when it was decided that measures regarding drug activity in Springfield needed to be taken. “Kristi Morris has spoken on numerous occasions about the drug issues in town, and we both decided after hearing community input that something had to give and the town needed to get back on track,” said Thompson. “After Governor Shumlin gave the ‘State of the State’ address all about opiate addiction, there was a governor’s forum on opiate addiction as well that we attended. We started having community meetings so that we could move forward to address the issues.” Thompson said that originally, Project ACTION began as REACH (Regional Efforts and Actions for Community Health), which included representatives from Bellows Falls, Springfield and Windsor. However, it was decided that having a group specifically for Springfield was best. “We wanted a local offshoot just to focus on Springfield,” Thompson said. “We started meeting with Project VISION in Rutland, because we wanted to utilize their best practices for our own group. We’ve asked them questions and they are great role models for us for Project ACTION.” According to Thompson, Project ACTION is divided into three subsets: Crime and Safety; Treatment, Prevention, Recovery; and Community and Neighborhoods. Each facet is slightly different, but all three need community input and support. “The goal of Project ACTION is work together with state and local agencies to come together and look at the problems that are facing our community,” Thompson said. “This is beyond a law enforcement problem, and we wanted to implement a holistic approach to all the things that are going on in town.” Though some may think that the drug issues in Springfield only affect certain people, Thompson said that this is not the case. “The issues in town affect everyone,” she said. “Businesses, police, everyone. That’s why Project ACTION is working toward combining resources. We’ve been gathering historical information, and laying the groundwork to set goals and outcomes for Project ACTION so that over time, we can sell it to everyone.” Thompson said that the first Project ACTION was invitation only, but that eventually, she hopes to expand the meetings, so that interested community members can become more involved. The meeting at the Nolin Murray Center began with Thompson introducing Project ACTION and giving the microphone to Chairman of the Select Board Kristi Morris. Morris spoke about the history (shootings in 2012 and 2014, and gang related violence in 2013) leading up to the decision to create Project ACTION. In an interview, Morris said that he became involved with Project ACTION because of being Chairman of the Select Board and because he is a lifelong resident of Springfield. “I was born here, and I’m passionate about Springfield,” he said. “I made a promise after the first shooting in 2012 that the Select Board wasn’t going to just sweep the drug problem under the carpet.” Morris said that people were invited to attend the first Project ACTION meeting through phone calls, e-mails and face-to-face conversations. “I’ve been advocating for something like this [Project ACTION] for two and a half years,” he said. “Everyone is concerned about the drug issues that are facing our town, and this is why people are supporting Project ACTION.” Morris said that although Project ACTION officially kicked-off publicly on January 20, it has been a few years in the making. According to Morris, the goal of Project ACTION is to make Springfield neighborhoods a safe place for people to thrive. “We want people to feel relaxed, comfortable and safe in town,” he said. “We have reached out to social groups, like the Elks Club to promote Project ACTION and this will help to unite even more clubs and services.” Morris also said that everyone he reached out to, to attend the meeting was supportive of Project ACTION. “People are looking for action and there has been a lot of talk recently, but not a lot of action,” he said. ‘That’s why we called it ‘Project ACTION’ because we wanted people to know that we’re coming up with ways to respond to the problems.” After Morris spoke at the meeting, Thompson took over and gave community statistics surrounding drug use and treatment in the area. Thompson mentioned local groups and organizations like Springfield Restorative Justice, HCRS and Turning Point in regard to their efforts to help combat and treat addiction and drug use in town. Wendi Germain of Springfield Restorative Justice was the next to speak, and gave an example of a man that was helped by her program. She said that she met the man whose name was Drew by chance, and helped him to reintegrate into the community after serving in prison for many years. Germain said that she tells that story “not because it’s extraordinary, but because it was a fluke.” She also said that this story helps to show how important action can be. Mike Johnson, who is the Executive Director of Springfield Turning Point spoke next, but instead turned the floor over to Nolan, who is a 17 year old person in recovery. Nolan told his story about using drugs at a young age, and not receiving the help he needed until seeking treatment at Valley Vista in Bradford, Vermont and then continuing his recovery at Turning Point. Nolan said that although it’s hard being 17 and in recovery, he is “very, very grateful for all the opportunities that Turning Point [has given him].” Detective Patrick Call of the Springfield Police Department then spoke about drugs in Springfield, and the police department’s efforts to stop drug dealers and drugs from entering town. According to Call, drugs like cocaine, heroin and bath salts are now more prominent in Springfield, and Springfield is often viewed as a hub for many of these substances. Call said that the drug issues in town “are impacting every aspect of people’s lives” and that this “isn’t a law enforcement problem.” Call also said that community members must work together to help solve drug-related problems. After Detective Call concluded, Thompson spoke again to discuss Project ACTION and the three facets that are included within it. Representatives from the Crime and Safety facet, along with representatives from Prevention, Treatment and Recovery and Community Housing and Neighborhoods all spoke about their respective parts in keeping Project ACTION going. The meeting then broke into sections, and those in attendance chose which facet of Project ACTION they wanted to participate in. After the section meetings concluded, Thompson adjourned the first official Project ACTION meeting. The next Project ACTION meeting will be held February 17 at the Probation and Parole offices in Springfield.