New Milford declares itself a ‘recovery-friendly’ town
Mayor: Available resources are an effort to help people combat addiction
New Milford has publicly declared itself a “recovery-friendly,” a term coining its efforts to help vulnerable populations get the help they need.
Town council member Katy Francis — treasurer of New Milford’s Coalition for Awareness and New Beginnings (NMCAN)
— brought the idea to the council, unanimously supporting a resolution.
Mayor Pete Bass says the declaration signifies the town’s commitment to helping people reach the necessary resources to combat addiction in its many forms.
“It basically just is the commitment from the town that we will work with our private partners, non-profits, hospitals, medical staff, all to work and try and make a better outcome for those who are addicted and have the ability to get treatment and mitigate the disease,” Bass said.
Being “recovery-friendly” means the town has to ensure certain resources — housing, treatment centers, employment services, counseling and educational programs — are available to those suffering from addiction.
Francis said New Milford was already in a “unique” position to be recovery-friendly because it had most of the required resources — including three recovery facilities and a liaison — to become a recovery town.
Bass said he wanted to face the
problem head-on rather than ignoring it. He believes being proactive and getting people treatment before an overdose or hospitalization produces a “tremendous net benefit.”
“This disease is almost a tsunami, so to speak. Rather than being a town that kind of looks away or buries its head in the ground, we wanted to be very proactive and try to help find solutions and opportunities for those who decide they want to combat their addiction,” Bass said.
New Milford created the Community Care Coordinator position — filled by Justin Cullmer — at the police department to spearhead a community policing initiative to supplement its recovery-friendly status.
Cullmer acts as the “boots on the ground,” according to Bass. He is a fortified liaison connecting vulnerable populations — homeless people, those suffering from addiction or violence — to the assistance they need, whether it’s housing, counseling or anything else.
Anyone managing addiction can go to the police for help and turn in whatever substances they have, no questions asked, according to Bass. Cullmer will assist that person with what the individual needs to move forward, whether it is in-patient treatment, therapy, employment services, housing or something else.
Cullmer is also tasked with offering these resources to individuals at police scenes. He believes there has been an amazing impact on the community since the initiative’s invention, that goes beyond those suffering from addiction. Cullmer often found himself helping the homeless population and says the amount of homeless people sleeping on the street in New Milford has been “significantly reduced.”
Bass agreed and both say — to their best knowledge — no one is currently sleeping on New Milford streets as a result. Cullmer said that when he first started there were about 25 to 30 homeless individuals and today he is unaware of any.
Cullmer thinks New Milford’s initiative stands out against other approaches towns have taken to community policing across the country because it’s “looking at the entire puzzle,” rather than just one piece. He says the town is focused on addressing the needs of all vulnerable populations, not just one.
“We’re really the first — as far as I know, in the country — piloting this model in-depth,” Cullmer said. “No one’s really doing the full, broad picture of just vulnerable people including the homeless, mental health, suicidal, substance abuse. I think that’s where New Milford is truly recovery-friendly because we don’t just focus on one piece of the puzzle, we’re focusing on the whole puzzle. ”
Rather than being a town that kind of looks away or buries its head in the ground, we wanted to be very proactive...”
New Milford Mayor Pete Bass