Webinar: SOAR and Criminal Justice System Implementation

SOAR WORKS SAMHSA
Newsflash
The SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) Technical Assistance (TA) Center is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and helps people who are experiencing or at risk for homelessness to access SSA disability benefits. For many individuals involved in the criminal justice system, SOAR stands for SSI/SSDI—Opportunities to Access Resources for successful reentry.

For many years, the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center has been helping local corrections and community transition staff integrate SSI/SSDI acquisition into their reentry services to promote post-release success. The use of the SOAR model as a tool for reentry results in increased access to income, housing, and treatment for people with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

On this webinar we will share information on the connection between serious mental illness, homelessness, and incarceration. You will learn what happens to SSI/SSDI benefits when a recipient becomes incarcerated and hear about best practices for increasing access to SSI/SSDI benefits for people with serious mental illness who are reentering communities from jails and prisons. Our guest speakers will provide both the management and caseworker perspective on successful SOAR implementation. 
You will learn:
  • Key strategies for introducing SOAR to and engaging with criminal justice systems
  • SOAR best practices for assisting SSI/SSDI applicants who are involved in the criminal justice system
  • SOAR tools available for promoting successful reentry
Join us on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at 3:00pm ET!
Register for the Webinar

Presenters:

  • Dazara Ware, MPC, SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, Policy Research Associates, Inc., Delmar, New York
  • Amy Dean, Kansas Department of Corrections, SOAR-trained Supervisor, Topeka, Kansas
  • Michelle Cadue, Kansas Department of Corrections, SOAR Specialist, Topeka, Kansas
  • Deborah Dunham, LCSW, Community Integration Coordinator, SOAR Criminal Justice Lead, Department of State Hospitals, Coalinga, California