HANCOCK COUNTY — Local officials know anyone making the transition out of incarceration needs all the support and help they can get in order to get their lives back together. Having something as simple as a care packet full of items like body soap, a tooth brush and wipes can have a major, positive impact, officials say.
From now through Friday, Aug. 11, local officials who support the transition are asking community members to step up and donate supplies to the men and woman trying to get their lives back on track. Officials with Hancock Health and The Healthy365 Connection Center are collecting personal items for the next few weeks during the Justice Navigation Personal Care Items Drive.
Anyone can donate new personal care items — especially travel-size items — to assist the Justice Navigation team in supplying pre-made, ready-to-hand-out toiletry bags to individuals transitioning out of the justice system.
“When our folks transition out of jail and back into their normal lives, many of them lack the resources to be able to provide basic items of care, like shampoo, toothpaste, soap, etc.,” Capt. Bridget Foy, the Hancock County Jail Commander said. “Those are the things we take for granted because we have them readily on hand, but if you had to go out and buy all of those items to restart your life, it would be quite expensive.”
The hope of the team members collecting the items is that they can organize enough basic supplies to alleviate some stress felt by individuals in transition without creating financial hardships on them.
Donation boxes are available throughout Hancock County including at Hancock Regional Hospital, all three Hancock Wellness Centers locations, The Healthy365 Connection Center, Gateway Hancock Health, Hancock Behavioral Health, Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health-Greenfield, and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
“The more publicity, the better,” Capt. Robert Harris, public information officer for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department said.
The Healthy365 Connection Center support navigators deliver acts of kindness one patient at a time. The team works as caring community partners. Officials with the organization say they provide a non-judgmental, confidential, listening ear, as well as helpful local connections and resources to overcome life’s many challenges. That includes transitioning out of the criminal justice system, substance misuse, depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions affecting mood, thinking and behavior.
Officials on the team note the support navigators go far beyond simply handing people a list of available resources. They are focused on warm hand-offs to the right services and removing barriers.
Specifically, the Justice Navigation team works with Hancock County inmates as they prepare for life outside of jail and transition back into the community. For example, when someone exits jail, often they do not have insurance anymore, and they may need to be set up with a doctor or get their prescriptions set up.
Individuals often don’t know where to go or where to begin and have broken a lot of ties with family and friends. That’s why they want to get people on the right path, and the support navigator can help do that for them.
Substance misuse and mental health are typically the top two needs, officials say, but others include employment, parenting, a faith community to call home, GED, peer recovery coaching, transportation, housing, insurance and health care.
Even something as simple as a bag of personal care items, like shampoo and a hairbrush, can go a long way with a person trying to get a second chance in life.
