Familiar Faces Initiative
Improving Outcomes Through Coordinated Heath & Justice Systems

Sections
Familiar faces—individuals with complex behavioral health needs who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other local crisis services—often do not have the support needed to ensure treatment engagement and successful outcomes. Counties and cities’ complex social services systems can be fragmented, leaving vulnerable individuals to fall through the cracks. The Familiar Faces Initiative empowered communities to share data and integrate care options between health and justice systems. While this program concluded in 2024, counties continue to pursue early intervention, improved outcomes and reduced incarceration and hospitalization rates for community members.
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Related Events

Understanding the Homelessness Executive Order: Federal Shifts, County Impacts and Next Steps
Join NACo on Tuesday, August 26 at 3:00 p.m. ET for a timely webinar outlining major changes to federal funding, grant conditions, and policy priorities that directly affect county homelessness programs, behavioral health systems and enforcement strategies.

Innovative Health Plan Strategies for County Governments
Hosted by UnitedHealthcare, this session will explore alternative health plan approaches that prioritize price transparency and promote the use of high-value providers, including models like the Surest Health Plan.
Past Events

County Strategies to Provide Supportive Housing for Familiar Faces
Join NACo for a panel discussion with experts and county leaders who have developed innovative funding models to support housing programs and facilities for familiar faces within their communities.

County Strategies to Recruit and Retain a Strong Behavioral Health Workforce
Join NACo for a panel discussion of innovative solutions to behavioral health workforce challenges.

911 Dispatch: Innovations for Addressing Behavioral Health Crisis Calls
This webinar will feature a presentation on The Pew Charitable Trust’s recent research on 911 call centers’ capabilities to handle behavioral health crises and highlight localities that have developed innovations in 911 dispatch centers.

Coordinating a System Response to 911 Dispatch
Join NACo, in collaboration with our Stepping Up partners and Data Driven Justice network for a discussion on 911 dispatch intervention strategies with a special emphasis on data collection, screening and practical local approaches to resolving 911 calls safely without unnecessary justice system involvement.
DDJ Virtual Panel Discussion: Lessons Learned from Pilot Projects
Join Data-Driven Justice (DDJ) for an engaging virtual panel discussion on the outcomes of the two-year DDJ pilot program with three communities: Johnson County, Iowa; Long Beach, Calif. and Middlesex County, Mass.

Data-Driven Justice National Listening Session: COVID-19 Impacts and Innovations Across Justice and Behavioral Health Systems
Please join Data-Driven Justice on Friday, May 22 at 2 p.m. EDT for a discussion on national and federal justice and behavioral health resources as communities continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.