Overview
Through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Altarum is working with a broad cross-section of community institutions to integrate peer recovery support services into a variety of criminal justice programs and settings.
Our Approach
Strong social supports, including peers who have personally experienced addiction and recovery, can improve outcomes for those struggling with substance use disorders. We work closely with organizations at the state and local level to integrate and deliver peer recovery support services across and throughout the criminal justice system, from developing peer training and supervision materials to devising strategies for partnerships to ensure comprehensive recovery supports are available in communities, counties, and throughout states.
Results
When peer support services are implemented, communities see decreased hospitalizations, decreased homelessness, and lower relapse rates. They also see increased recovery capital—the sum of strengths and supports, such as decent housing and steady employment, that are available to help someone sustain long-term recovery from addiction.
Contact Us
Tiffany Lombardo - MA, LISW-S, LICDC-CS
Project Director, Community Health
Areas of Expertise- Behavioral Health
- Training and Technical Assistance and Program Development
- Collaborative Partnerships
Tiffany has over 18 years of experience in the behavioral health field working with vulnerable populations—focusing on developing partnerships and collaboration to improve systems and enhance programs. At Altarum, she directs and leads projects focusing on recovery support services and substance use disorders. Tiffany has developed a connection with clients struggling with addictions and built her career on finding initiatives to impact change at a community level. She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker - Supervisor and Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor - Clinical Supervisor. She received her Master’s in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.
Erin Etwaroo - MA, LPC
Project Manager, Community Health
Areas of Expertise- Justice-Involved Populations and Co-Occurring Disorders
- Evidence-Based Programming
- Behavioral Health Equity
Erin Etwaroo is a project manager and technical assistance specialist with a focus on behavioral health. She holds a master of arts in forensic psychology and is a licensed professional counselor with over 15 years of experience as a direct care behavioral health provider. Erin specializes in working with justice-involved individuals and at-risk youth and their families. She currently serves as the project manager for the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Training and Technical Assistance (COSSAP TTA) program on peer recovery support services. Her expertise also includes behavioral health research, data collection, analysis, focus group facilitation, training, technical writing, and program dissemination. Prior to joining Altarum, Erin was an independently contracted psychotherapist, as well as a juvenile detention program coordinator and a clinical research coordinator on multiple trials investigating the safety and efficacy of psychiatric medications.