Neighbors help neighbors through sheriff's program

WAPAKONETA - In about three years, the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office has successfully implemented its own peer support program, helping residents get back on their feet with guidance from a neighbor with lived experience.

The program, Project ACART, or Auglaize County Addiction Response Team, started organically through the community policing of Sheriff Mike Vorhees' deputies, county peer specialist Brittany Boneta said.

"When I was in active addiction, there was one specific sheriff's deputy who I would have run-ins with. I was used to other counties, other law enforcement that would treat me badly, which- they (would say) horrible, mean things to me. But this Auglaize County deputy spoke life into me, told me that I was worth more than what (situation) I was in," she said. "When I decided to get sober, he waited and watched, made sure that I was doing the right things. He came up with the idea of this, and asked if I would be interested in talking to other people that he knew were in active addiction. He would run into other females in active addiction and say, 'Hey, Brittany, this person really could use your guidance. Would you sit and talk with them at McDonald's?' It started kind of just like a mentorship."

The meetings quickly flourished into Boneta getting certified as a state peer supporter, Vorhees said. Then, it turned into a part-time job, funded through money from the Ohio Drug Abuse Response Team grant.

The state DART grant supports collaborative, community-based approaches by funding personnel costs and other expenses related to addiction response and diversion programs.

"Brittany had been straightening her life around. Brittany had gone through classes to be a peer supporter and thought that maybe it was really something we would want to do," he said.

"We had a face-to-face meeting with Brittany. I had never met her, at the time, yet, so I met her and we talked a lot. We brought her into a group of law enforcement officers to kind of tell our story and talk and see how it was gonna work in our county."

Prior to officially launching the program in 2023, Vorhees said he, Boneta and deputies traveled to Lancaster County to consult with officials from their sheriff's office, who run a successful peer support program of their own.

"We went down to Lancaster, talked to them, trying to figure out how we could do the program. I know the Sidney Police Department has a similar program also. We talked to them, we kind of threw it together, to see how it was going to work," he said. "It's just ballooned. Brittany was only part-time when we started. We gave her a few hours, per the grant. And then we applied for a second grant, the RecoveryOhio grant."

The RecoveryOhio Law Enforcement grant was created to help with expenses that a drug task force organization incurs in performing its functions related to the enforcement of the state's drug laws and other state laws related to illegal drug activity.

"We have two grants now associated with Project ACART, and Brittany's at full-time hours now," Vorhees said. "She's a contracted employee for us, but she's still an employee of ours. And it's just, great." The program is also funded through donations and fundraising.

As someone in recovery herself, Boneta said her experiences allow her to walk alongside residents struggling with substance use or having mental health crises.

"I help them get on their feet, and find a life of recovery," Boneta said. "We are completely free. We don't take any type of insurance or any payment, and it's just when somebody is like, 'Hey, my life has become unmanageable. I don't know the next steps and I need help.' I meet everybody where they're at. Sometimes it's not just mental health or substance use. Maybe they need help finding food pantries. Maybe they're homeless and they have nowhere to stay. It's about finding resources, and connecting them with those resources. Maybe they need a counselor, because I'm not a counselor- I'm just somebody with experience. I connect them with places, agencies like Coleman, Lighthouse, BrightView, where they can continue their treatment."

In just a short amount of time Boneta has been able to effect real change. An example would be a client of hers that had been active addiction for over 15 years "on every substance you can think of," she said.

"She's had multiple children that were removed from her custody from Child Protective Services. I did an interview with the Sheriff for the news, and she says that she remembers being so sick- going through withdrawal- and she heard my voice on the news and she immediately called me on a Thursday and said, 'Brittany, I'm pregnant. I am currently using, and I can't stop.' We had her in detox that Friday," she said. "She has been sober ever since. She's going on two years in May. The child that she was pregnant with, CPS did get involved as soon as she gave birth. But she fought and she fought and continued to stay sober. She has custody of her child back now. She has her own apartment. She's never in her life had her own place. She has her own house. She works at a factory making great money, and we still stay in contact. It's great."

Though the project works well now, Vorhees and Boneta both said it took them a minute to merge addiction recovery with law enforcement.

"Not everybody buys into everything. I get it, everybody has their opinion, and I respect that. But, this is a good program. This is a good thing when you got somebody as passionate as Brittany out helping people," Vorhees said. "Probably one of the challenges we've dealt with is her learning our world, and us learning her world. Bringing two worlds together that don't normally work together."

Once trust was established, the project proved to be a win for everyone involved. Residents get support on their journey to sobriety and stay out of trouble with the sheriff's office, all while providing Boneta with purpose in her own life.

"It actually helps me stay sober. It holds me accountable. We have built such a great community, showing people that recovery is possible. It reminds me of why I am still sober today and why I didn't give up on those hard days, and why I didn't just go back to the old lifestyle," she said. "We're showing people that you can continue to live life even when the days are hard, and be sober."

In the future Vorhees said he'd like to secure further funding to support a full-time, male peer supporter to diversify the project's offerings.

"I see the program growing. I want it to grow. Hopefully, we can figure out better funding, and more funding. I would like to get another peer supporter. We'd like to get a male peer supporter so they could help Brittany. The reason we like a male, you got a male and a female, you have more options."

Interested parties can learn more about Project ACART by contacting them through email at projectacart@gmail.com.