Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD)

A public health approach to community safety that diverts individuals cycling in and out of the legal system into a long-term case management model of care.

Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD), a project of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program now operating in over 80 cities, utilizes a harm reduction platform to improve outcomes by providing intensive, holistic care outside of the legal system. A true community partnership, where community members make referrals, LEAD brings together a cross section of community leaders, neighborhood residents and business owners who partner with case managers.

Through many community conversations, GreenLight Twin Cities identified improvements in public safety through fewer unnecessary police interactions as a priority. This was particularly the case in the Lake Street corridor, an area built and sustained by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and immigrant communities that had seen an increase in criminal activity driven by the effects of systemic racism and a lack of investment. GreenLight selected and launched LEAD in partnership with leaders and residents with the joint goal of decreasing recidivism and improving stability for residents facing challenges with non-violent behaviors often criminalized.

LEAD is housed by Pillsbury United Communities locally and initially focused on the Lake Street corridor. The program improves outcomes for marginalized community members who already have high contact with the legal system by providing a case manager trained on harm-reduction and focused on relationship-building, goal-setting support and breaking down barriers to access employment, housing, and mental health care.