Gloucester Township SAVE Program Gets National Accolades

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Gloucester Township has been recognized nationally for its Project SAVE program.

Mayor David Mayer received an Honorable Mention at the 2018 City Livability Awards program during The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 86th annual Meeting in Boston, the township announced this week.

The award recognizes mayoral leadership in developing and implementing programs that improve the quality of life in America’s cities, focusing on the leadership, creativity, and innovation demonstrated by the mayors.

Winners are selected by a panel of former mayors and awards are given to mayors and their respective cities. Awards are given out for first place, outstanding achievement and honorable mention.

Mayer and the township were recognized for their Project SAVE (Substance Abuse Visionary Effort) initiative. The program began in 2014 to aid lower-level drug offenders who were not previously offered help.

It focuses on suppression, prevention and intervention in an effort to combat a nationwide narcotic abuse problem. The alcohol and drug counselor, known as a Project SAVE Advocate, has been present in the Gloucester Township Municipal Court to assist defendants suffering from addiction and their family members with providing information about available treatment programs.

Since the program launched, the SAVE Advocate has offered services to a total of 158 people with 82 percent of those approached (131 people) engaging in the program on some level, according to the township.

Out of the 82 percent 18 percent (24 people) have fully completed treatment, which may consist of either inpatient or outpatient treatment. Seventeen (71 percent of the 24 percent) of those people haven’t been arrested since completing the program. Ultimately, about 10 percent of the people initially approached complete the program and remain arrest free.

“We are honored to receive an award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, an organization that provides mayors with leadership and management tools that allow us to be even more effective leaders,” Mayer said. “We continuously aim to keep the residents of Gloucester Township safe by introducing new and innovative policing strategies like our SAVE advocates. Our Project SAVE Program has been a tremendous success, and we are proud to have been recognized for our efforts on a national level.”

This is the 39th year in which cities have competed for the award, which is sponsored by the Conference of Mayors and Waste Management, Inc., the nation’s largest environmental solutions provider.

"Our City Livability Awards Program gives us the chance to express our pride in cities’ mayoral leadership in making urban areas cleaner, safer, and more livable,” Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran said. “We are grateful to Waste Management for its many years of support for the City Livability Awards Program, and for the opportunity to showcase the innovation and commitment of mayors and city governments across the country."

“Through the City Livability Awards, Waste Management is immensely proud to honor US Mayors who are committed to strengthening our communities and enhancing the lives of their residents across the nation,” Waste Management’s Senior Corporate Director of Public Sector Solutions Susan Moulton said. “For more than 29 years, Waste Management has sponsored the Awards, because the work these Mayors do to keep our communities safe, healthy, and vibrant aligns directly with our commitment to community vitality by providing innovative, safe and sustainable recycling and waste services.”

The attached image was provided by township officials