2021 National Award-Winning Program
Thomas J. Moran Award Recipient

The Nathaniel Project

Organization

Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services (CASES)

Partner

Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice

New York State Office of Mental Health

New York County (Manhattan) Supreme Court

Howie the Harp Advocacy Center

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Contact Information

The Nathaniel Project

Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services (CASES)151 Lawrence Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Joel Copperman
Chief Executive Officer

212.553.6354

In America, there are more individuals living with serious mental illness detained in jails and prisons than being served in psychiatric treatment centers. Most of these incarcerated people lack access to mental health services that could help them recover. As a result, they often are subject to violence and ongoing suffering while imprisoned, and they struggle to find their footing when released into the community.

Established in 1967, CASES (the Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services) is dedicated to increasing public safety through innovative services that reduce crime and incarceration, improve behavioral health, promote recovery and rehabilitation, and create opportunities for success in the community.

In 2000, CASES launched its groundbreaking Nathaniel Project, New York City’s first alternative-to-incarceration program for adults with serious mental illness (SMI) who are facing prison as the result of felony charges. Named for a man experiencing homelessness whose mental illness went untreated as he cycled in and out of the criminal legal system for 15 years, the Nathaniel Project has earned national recognition for safely supervising and supporting clients as they work within their community to rebuild their lives.

In 2000, CASES launched its groundbreaking Nathaniel Project, New York City’s first alternative-to-incarceration program for adults with serious mental illness (SMI), who are facing prison as the result of felony charges. Named for a man experiencing homelessness whose mental illness went untreated as he cycled in and out of the criminal legal system for 15 years, the Nathaniel Project has earned national recognition for safely supervising and supporting clients as they work within their community to rebuild their lives.

CASES clinical staff working in the courts identify people with indications of psychiatric distress who may be appropriate for the Project. Working with the client and their defense attorney, CASES develops a plan to support the client’s return to the community. If the court agrees, sentencing is deferred pending the outcome of a 2- to 3-year treatment period, during which clients engage with CASES staff in intensive case management, court advocacy, mental health and substance-use treatment, medication management, and housing and employment services—delivered by a state-licensed mobile treatment team.

I spent 29 months behind bars. The judge, acknowledging that I was suffering from mental health problems and knowing that I was working really hard to get better, released me to the care of the Nathaniel Project. They helped me get housing, took me to doctor appointments and helped me get benefits as a disabled person. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”

Antonio Client

50+%

Percentage of people admitted to jail in NYC in 2021 with mental health treatment needs; the annual cost to incarcerate each individual exceeds $447,000.

500+

Individuals living in NYC with serious mental illnesses who were diverted to the Nathaniel Project’s intensive, community-based mobile treatment services instead of going to prison.

Nearly 90%

Nathaniel Project graduates who have had no new felony convictions within two years of completing the program.

What makes the Nathaniel Project unique is the incredible reputation they’ve developed with the courts and the district attorney’s office. They’ve proven that when we dedicate resources into giving people community treatment, as opposed to locking them up, public safety is increased, and lives are changed for the better.”
Jeffrey Berman

Mental Health Attorney, Legal Aid Society

2022 Award Winners

2018 National Award-Winning Program
Thomas J. Moran Award Recipient

Baltimore City Deconstruction Project

Organization

Humanim, Inc.

Program

Baltimore City Deconstruction Project

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Contact Information

Baltimore City Deconstruction Project

Humanim, Inc.

Baltimore, MD

2022 Award Winners

2019 National Award-Winning Program
Thomas J. Moran Award Recipient

Survivor Advocate Program

Organization

Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST)

Program

Survivor Advocate Program

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Contact Information

Survivor Advocate Program

Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST)

Los Angeles, CA

2022 Award Winners

2020 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

The Community and Law Enforcement Collaboration Project

Organization

EMPACT-Suicide Prevention Center

Program

The Community and Law Enforcement Collaboration Project

Partner

Phoenix Police Department

Tempe Police Department

Contact Information

The Community and Law Enforcement Collaboration Project

EMPACT-Suicide Prevention Center618 S. Madison Drive
Tempe, AZ 85281

Erica Chestnut-Ramirez,
Regional Vice President

480.784.1514 x115

EMPACT-Suicide Prevention Center (EMPACT-SPC) was founded in 1987 to provide behavioral health services to individuals and families, including crisis intervention, suicide prevention, substance abuse treatment and more. In 2013, it created The Community and Law Enforcement Collaboration Project, partnering with the Phoenix and Tempe police departments to reduce the need for law enforcement to serve as frontline responders to mental health and substance abuse crises.

Initially, training was the focus of this bold initiative. Crisis Intervention Teams provide 40 hours of training, helping police officers recognize and respond to a person experiencing a mental health crisis. However, the partnership quickly evolved into a more holistic, integrated approach to improving public safety.

Crisis mobile teams now enable the transfer of noncriminal crises to behavioral health professionals, without any police involvement. Post-crisis navigators offer clients follow-up for 60 days as ongoing clinical services are put in place. And first-responder wellness liaisons provide support to police officers facing behavioral health issues of their own.

“This groundbreaking partnership between behavioral health services and law enforcement is yielding clear results,” said Dr. Dan Ranieri, CEO of La Frontera AZ, EMPACT-SPC’s parent company. “Last year, our mobile teams responded to 7,500 calls, requesting law enforcement’s presence less than four percent of the time. And nearly 80 percent of individuals served were successfully stabilized in the community, rather than being transported to a hospital or jail. This has enabled police officers to focus more time on keeping our communities safe.”

2022 Award Winners

2020 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Human Services and Employment Capacity Building

Organization

Keystone Independence Management

Program

Human Services and Employment Capacity Building

Partner

Keystone Blind Association

Keystone Vocational Services

Beaver County Association for the Blind

Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Montgomery County Association for the Blind

Contact Information

Human Services and Employment Capacity Building

Keystone Independence Management3056 E. State Street
Hermitage, PA 16148

Laurie Staph,
President and CEO

724.347.5501

Since 1947, Keystone Blind Association (KBA) has been offering specialized services and support to help blind and visually impaired individuals build a brighter future. In 2000, after recognizing that other nonprofits serving this community struggle to fund their operations, KBA created Keystone Independence Management (KIM) to provide them crucial management and back-office services. By utilizing KIM services, outside agencies are able to downsize their costs and redirect their resources to programs that support their mission. At the same time, this forward-thinking business model provides KIM a source of additional revenue to grow its reach.

In 2002, KIM collaborated with Keystone Vocational Services and its partners to secure employment opportunities exclusively for individuals with vision loss or other disabilities through its Human Services and Employment Capacity Building program. This unique partnership-driven program seeks out federal and state contracts and other work that can be performed by individuals with disabilities. Employees earn market wages and benefits, and work in an environment that is competitive and fully integrated. The program also provides access to services to help KIM employees build a more independent and opportunity-filled future.

“Our group of agencies has learned how to effectively collaborate with each other and with community partners, leveraging our respective strengths to serve the greater good. Today, we are one of the largest combined employers of visually impaired and blind individuals in Pennsylvania,” said Laurie Staph, President and CEO of Keystone Blind Association. “We are proud of how our entrepreneurial approach has enabled us to further social change in a financially sustainable way.”

2022 Award Winners

2020 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations

Organization

Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations

Program

Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations

Partner

Indian Health Services

State of Washington Health Care Authority

Spokane Public Schools

Seven Tribal Nations

Contact Information

Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations

Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations5600 E. 8th Avenue
Spokane Valley, WA 99212

Rebecca Crocker,
Executive Director

509.533.6910

In 1986, leaders from seven Tribal nations based in Washington, Oregon and Idaho came together to discuss long-term chronic addiction and its impact on Native American youth. Faced with no acceptable treatment options close to home, they formed a partnership with Indian Health Services to create the Inland Tribal Consortium, now called Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations. Eight years later, with support from the State of Washington Health Care Authority, the Spokane Public Schools and other partners, Healing Lodge opened a 45-bed residential treatment center for Native American/Alaska Native adolescents, ages 13 to 18, and other youth. This facility includes a fully accredited alternative school on its campus so residents can earn educational credits toward a degree while in treatment.

Over time, Healing Lodge evolved its programming to a more holistic view of treatment. In 2013, it introduced a groundbreaking 90- to 120-day treatment model that fully integrates Native American cultural and spiritual values and practices, along with best practices for chemical dependency counseling. In 2017, they opened an Orientation/Integration Unit, which provides new residents time for treatment planning and a chance to acclimate to the therapeutic community.

“By blending traditional Tribal approaches with state-of-the-art intensive learning strategies, Healing Lodge has found a winning combination—one that is having a profound impact on the long-term health and well-being of our youth,” said Rebecca Crocker, Executive Director. “Since 2013, we have served more than 1,200 adolescents, and 80 percent have completed our program. Equally important, the one-year relapse rate for our residents is 23 percent, compared with a 90 percent national relapse rate following most treatment programs. We are deeply honored to be part of their healing and to see our youth become the successful students and productive members of the community they were meant to be.”

2022 Award Winners

2020 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Choose to Change

Organization

Children’s Home & Aid

Program

Choose to Change

Partner

Youth Advocate Programs

University of Chicago Crime Lab

Contact Information

Choose to Change

Children’s Home & Aid125 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 1400
Chicago, IL 60606

Michael Shaver,
President and CEO

312.424.6877

Choose to Change (C2C) is a homegrown collaboration between Children’s Home & Aid and Youth Advocate Programs (YAP) that aims to reduce criminal behavior and improve academic outcomes for at-risk 13- to 18-year-olds living in the south and west sides of Chicago. This innovative six-month intervention program, which won the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s prestigious 2015 Chicago Design Competition, combines trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy with holistic mentorship to help more than 600 youth process their trauma and develop tools to make healthier decisions in their lives.

Trust is an essential component of the program. Before any therapy or other services are offered, an advocate from YAP spends eight hours a week with the program participant doing one-on-one and group activities, and provides support to help the youth reconnect with school and identify positive family relationships. Once a strong mentoring relationship is formed, the advocate then accompanies the teen to trauma-informed therapy sessions led by a masters-level therapist from Children’s Home & Aid. These group meetings help participants learn to better regulate their emotions, engage in helpful coping mechanisms, and build their problem-solving and communication skills.

“We’re thrilled to say that C2C shows great promise for reducing violent crime and improving educational attainment for at-risk youth,” said Michael Shaver, President and CEO of Children’s Home & Aid. “Based on the University of Chicago Crime and Education Labs’ evaluation of the program’s outcomes, the City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools have decided to expand this program to serve 2,000 more young people in 2020 and beyond.”

2022 Award Winners

2020 National Award-Winning Program
Thomas J. Moran Award Recipient

100 Scholars Robotics Alliance

Organization

100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.

Program

100 Scholars Robotics Alliance

Partner

Johnson STEM Activity Center

FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

Millennium Training Systems

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Contact Information

100 Scholars Robotics Alliance

100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.101 Jackson Street N.E., 2nd Floor
Atlanta, GA 30312

Otis Threatt,
Director of Partnerships

404.525.6220

In 2006, The 100 collaborated with Millennium Training Systems (MTS), Johnson STEM Activity Center (JSAC) and FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to create the 100 Scholars Robotics Alliance. This groundbreaking after-school and summer program provides students hands-on opportunities to plan, build, test and modify their own robots and to compete on a FIRST team, based on their age or experience.

MTS is responsible for day-to-day operations of the program. Bart Sudderth developed and implemented a STEM curriculum comprised of NASA educational materials that is used in conjunction with FIRST competitions. Dr. Lonnie Johnson, founder of JSAC, is an inventor and former NASA scientist who provides mentoring and a home for the 100 Scholars Robotics Alliance. FIRST is an international youth competition that motivates youth to pursue educational and career opportunities in STEM.

“Youth in underserved school districts aren’t any less intelligent than other students; they simply lack exposure, guidance and the chance to show they can excel. The 100 Scholars Robotics Alliance provides that opportunity by helping students build self-confidence and life skills essential for success,” said Kevin Gooch, Chairman of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. “To date, more than 10,000 students in underserved communities across the state have become part of the 100 Scholars Robotics Alliance, giving Georgia the highest participation rate in the country for minority students in youth STEM programs.

2022 Award Winners

2019

Advanced Manufacturing for Young Veterans

Organization

Workshop for Warriors

Program

Advanced Manufacturing for Young Veterans

2022 Award Winners

2019 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Mobile Dental Unit

Organization

West Virginia Health Right, Inc.

Program

Mobile Dental Unit

2022 Award Winners

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