The Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR), on behalf of the State Justice Institute (SJI), is pleased to announce a peer exchange opportunity on June 13–14th, 2024, in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP). Up to six communities will be selected to receive travel scholarships through SJI to participate. These travel scholarships will allow each community to send a team of three to four practitioners to participate in the structured, 2-day peer exchange at no cost.

The peer exchange will be based in Montgomery County, Ohio, a community in the western part of the state that includes the city of Dayton. Throughout the 2-day site visit, the six visiting teams will have the opportunity to learn about and observe the many successful aspects of Montgomery County’s comprehensive, multidisciplinary substance use response.

Through this peer exchange, visiting teams can discuss and share best practices, exchange ideas and knowledge, and engage in peer networking events.

Visiting teams also will be provided opportunities to meet and process the information as a team. To learn more about Dayton/Montgomery Counties and other communities’ efforts to increase collaboration to address substance use, please read Cross-sector Collaboration Between Law Enforcement, Courts, Child Welfare, and Schools to Address the Impact of Substance Use Disorders on Children and Families in the United States.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this technical assistance opportunity, a community must meet the following criteria:

• Assemble a cross-sector team that includes at least three of the four sectors identified in the technical assistance request requirements—a representative from law enforcement, courts, child welfare, and/or the local school system.

Please see the solicitation for additional eligibility information and peer site visit request requirements.

Full Details of Opportunity

Full details of this opportunity—including additional information about individual and cross-sector team eligibility requirements, the time commitment associated with this initiative, and the selection process—can be found in the solicitation at:  https://www.cossup.org/Content/Documents/Funding/Cross-Sector_Collaboration_Site_Visit_Opportunity_Final.pdf.

How to Apply

Request forms will be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis, with submissions received by May 2, 2024, receiving priority consideration. Submissions will not be accepted after May 16, 2024.

Interested sites should submit their requests by completing this form. Once sites have completed the form and submitted their responses, they will receive a confirmation of receipt.

If needed, a PDF version of the questions is available here.

Questions

If sites have any questions about completing this form or have submission issues, they should email COSSUP@iir.com.