In April, First Choice Services, a Charleston-based nonprofit providing helpline services for mental health and social service programs, partnered with the Buckhannon Police Department to add a peer liaison to their staff. The peer liaison was hired to provide outreach and assistance to vulnerable community members. According to the American Psychological Association, at least 20% of police calls involve substance use or mental health crises.

Erica Bennett, an Upshur/Lewis County Drug Court program graduate, was hired for the position. She has been in recovery for five years and has professional experience in behavioral health and substance use services.

Bennett said since taking the position, she has helped at least a dozen people receive treatment for substance use disorder, connected multiple clients to mental health resources and found permanent housing for several unhoused individuals. She highlighted a couple of successes.

“A few months ago, I was at a recovery event here in Buckhannon, and a woman I had gotten placement for approached me to let me know she had 60 days in recovery and thanked me for helping her,” she said. “A client texted me last week and thanked me for saving his life.”

At the recent Crisis Intervention & 988 Summit, Chief Matt Gregory spoke about the program’s successes.

“Our Peer Liaison has hit the ground running, assisting people with substance use issues, homelessness as well as behavior issues,” Gregory said. “From the outset, she has integrated with the staff of the Buckhannon Police Department, discussing what her role is and how that overlaps with many of the calls and situations that officers deal with on a day-to-day basis. This integration has steadily been expanding into various other emergency services and community groups throughout our community. As this occurs and Erica’s Peer Liaison mission continues, I liken this to seed planting. With every encounter she has, she is planting a seed in the hopes of effecting positive change in people’s lives and our community.”

The West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health provides the grant for this partnership as part of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline funding. The vision for 988 is to build a robust crisis care system across the country that links people who contact the lifeline with a full range of crisis services, including tools and resources to prevent future crises.