Contra Costa County Holistic Intervention Partnership

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Contra Costa County’s Holistic Intervention Partnership (HIP) is a collaboration between public agencies and community-based organizations to address the acute needs of individuals who are repeatedly contacted by law enforcement for low-level crimes. Operating out of the Public Defender’s Office, HIP contacts individuals following an arrest to explain the legal processes and offer a wide array of assistance--all before a criminal case has even been filed. For this subset of individuals most heavily impacting the criminal legal system through repeated arrests, HIP aims to intervene at the earliest opportunity to provide client-specific services that curb system involvement and reduce recidivism. Services include housing navigation and placement, civil legal aid, substance use disorder treatment, behavioral health treatment, and employment search assistance. In its nearly 3 years in operation, HIP has worked with over 500 clients (almost double its projected population), including providing housing services to nearly 200 individuals, while dramatically increasing court appearance rates and reducing recidivism.