On the Margins and Beyond: Serving Justice-Involved Clients Battling Addiction When someone walks out of jail, they're not stepping into a clean slate — they’re walking into a world where fentanyl lurks on every corner, and hope is in short supply. In Maricopa County, fentanyl now contributes to approximately 60% of all drug-related deaths — that’s more than three lives lost every single day to overdose in our community 1 . In 2023, Arizona saw nearly 1,930 opioid overdose deaths , with Maricopa County ranked among the highest-rate counties in the state 2 . The risk isn’t hypothetical — it’s constant and deadly. Now imagine returning from incarceration with nothing but the clothes on your back. No home. No job. No support. And maybe, a serious addiction you were never able to shake. The odds of staying clean, finding safety, and building a life feel impossible. And for many, they are. The Danger of the First 72 Hours Studies have shown th...
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Showing posts from August, 2025
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I’m Not Gone—Just Invisible: A Phoenix Story Note: The following is fictional—“Gabe” does not exist—but this story reflects the real struggles faced by many in our community. Every statistic is true, every moment feels painfully possible. My Name Is Gabe—And I’m Still Here The sun blazed down again today, turning sidewalks into ovens and destitution into life or death. Two weeks ago—right there, at the McDowell bus stop across from Mojave—another person died. First it was a woman, collapsed still, her life lost to the heat. Three days later, it happened again. I've met too many whose shadows vanish at that same corner. These deaths aren’t surprising. An ABC15 investigation found that at least 40 people have died at bus stops in Phoenix from heat-related causes . Two-thirds of those heat deaths occurred outdoors—and meth was involved in 75% of drug-related heat deaths in Maricopa County . When Survival Isn’t Enough I lost count of nights spent outside before my shoes fell apa...