LEAD Marks 10-Year Milestone in Albany

Albany, NY — Community leaders, partners, and stakeholders gathered to mark the 10-year milestone of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) initiative in Albany and to recognize a significant new investment from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).

Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region announced $1,149,995 in funding from DCJS to support LEAD in Albany. This funding ensures the continuation of critical services provided through St. Catherine’s Center for Children’s Homeless Services and the Albany County Department of Mental Health clinical team, allowing this essential work to continue without interruption. These teams serve some of the most vulnerable members of our community. This investment strengthens a proven, evidence-based model that prioritizes connection to care over arrest and supports long-term stability.

In a statement, NYS DCJS Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “Through Albany County’s LEAD initiative, we are supporting a proven approach that connects people to services instead of the justice system. This funding will help Trinity Alliance continue that work, making communities safer and improving outcomes for individuals.”

Daquetta P. Jones-Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region, said, “LEAD is what it looks like when a community chooses care over criminalization. At Trinity Alliance, we are honored to serve as the project management and community engagement lead for this work, in partnership with our Policy Coordinating Group and Operations Work Group. Since launching in Albany in 2016, nearly 600 individuals have been connected to LEAD—reflecting both the depth of need and the trust this initiative has built in our community.”

“This new investment from New York State DCJS marks a critical milestone in sustaining and strengthening this proven, evidence-based model. With direct service leadership from St. Catherine’s Center for Children and the foundational role of Catholic Charities, this work is grounded in LEAD’s mission—to help community members living with mental health or substance use challenges, poverty, or homelessness, reduce their chances of future legal involvement. As we look ahead, this progress calls on all of us—especially our elected leaders—to ensure LEAD remains embedded in our community and continues to grow as an alternative response that connects community members facing social challenges to care and support—intercepting criminalization before it begins,” she said.

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy also emphasized the program’s impact, stating,
“LEAD is all about keeping people out of jail who don’t belong there and getting them the assistance they need with housing, substance abuse and mental health issues. Success is in the numbers. When our County Department of Mental Health teamed up with LEAD in 2023 to launch a street-based clinical initiative, lives were changed. Mental health outcomes improved in 34% of those helped. Overall, nearly 80% of those in the program obtained permanent housing; 64% were not arrested within a year and 80% were not incarcerated within five years. That’s real improvement.”

Anthony Capece, Executive Director of the Central Avenue Business Improvement District, highlighted the community impact, noting, “We’ve been proud to stand with LEAD since the very beginning, helping bring a model to Albany that prioritizes care over arrest. The impact on Central Avenue and our community has been significant, and we’re especially proud of LEAD’s leadership and the advisory board’s ongoing effort behind this work. We want to thank the Albany Police Department and our law enforcement colleagues for their incredible collaboration in making this possible. We’re excited to continue building on that success.”

LEAD provides an alternative response to low-level offenses driven by behavioral health challenges. The program offers harm reduction-based case management and connects individuals to housing, treatment, and supportive services—reducing future legal involvement while advancing public safety, health, and equity.

“For 10 years, LEAD has shown Albany County what real public safety looks like,” Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon said. “It is not just arrests and convictions but also getting to the root of why people end up in the criminal justice system in the first place. Addiction, mental illness, homelessness, poverty: these are not excuses, they are causes. When we treat them as such, we build safer neighborhoods, stronger communities and a more just society for everyone. LEAD has spent a decade proving that public safety and compassion are not competing values.”

Cohoes Chief of Police Todd E. Waldin echoed this statement saying, “The Cohoes Police Department values its partnership with LEAD. We have seen significant results from the combined efforts of our officers and LEAD personnel in helping to establish long-term assistance to those we have been referred for help. This has not only diverted those who may otherwise be subjected to arrest for low level offenses away from the criminal justice system but also benefited the community as a whole.”

The number of people connected to LEAD over the years reflects both the ongoing need and the program’s trusted presence in the community. Over time, LEAD has evolved from a pre-arrest diversion model to a broader, referral-based approach that allows earlier engagement and expanded access to care.

 “The Cohoes Police Department implemented LEAD in August 2023 and have since referred more than 70 individuals to LEAD case managers,” explained City of Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler. “Those referred subsequently required less police attention, and in many cases received life-changing assistance with housing, treatment, and other services because of the LEAD referral. In an era when calls for law enforcement intervention increasingly involve people with substance abuse and/or mental health issues, LEAD provides case-appropriate alternatives to better

address the underlying issues while simultaneously relieving an overburdened criminal justice system.”

In partnership with the Albany County Department of Mental Health, LEAD launched a street-based clinical initiative in 2023. This model pairs a licensed clinician and psychiatric provider with case management teams, bringing critical mental health services directly to individuals who may otherwise go without care.

LEAD in Albany is guided by a multidisciplinary Policy Coordinating Group and supported by an Operations Work Group that includes system and service partners working collaboratively to support participants and strengthen outcomes.

As partners reflect on this milestone, there is a shared commitment to sustaining and expanding LEAD to meet growing community needs and ensuring continued access to care for those most impacted by systemic challenges.

The Albany LEAD 2025 annual report can be found at: https://albanylead.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2025-Annual-Report-Albany-LEAD.pdf (or at www.albanylead.org under Data & Results).