BLACK INK.

BLACK INK PEER MENTORING Miranda Dye >Proprietor April 2017 >(Not to be reproduced without permission BLACK INK, PEER MENTORING To advocate for those with dual diagnosis of addictions and mental illness by utilizing personal experience to assist in individual recovery process. While collaborating with other established processes the Peer Mentor will serve as a one-on-one guide at a non-professional level. Supportive consistency is important to the overall wellness of recovering individuals. BLACK INK will facilitate training Peer Mentors to serve this role in our community and use incentives as a procurement of recovery. By incorporating learned skills in recovery; The Black Ink, Peer Mentoring organization will develop a strategy to improve wellness in our community, with a forward thinking approach of mental health and addiction awareness and the possibilities of recovery. By directly impacting those in underserved populations, Peer Mentors will have experience with being in that subgroup. The overall vision of Black Ink is to utilize personal experiences to motivate and fight the stigma of mental illness and addictions. This is inclusion of services will help bridge the gap between our current state of services and the high demand. Proprietor Qualifications of Proprietor: Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Former AmeriCorps VISTA for Community Development; Mayor’s Committee on Homelessness. Experience in recovery and addictions treatment. Training and certified as a Peer Mentor. Personal Experience with the legal system and criminalization of the mentally ill. Experience in the medical field as a Radiology Assistant and Ultrasound technician. Experience being a patient in the Hospital. Experience in Real Estate and property management. There is a need in our community for BLACK Ink’s services. I have lived this experience first-hand, while being involved with the legal system and recovery based programming. The legal system is funneling people in poverty in a turn-style fashion and the problem is getting worse, not better. What we need is incentives for recovery that outweigh the benefits of continued lifestyles of theft and using. Recovery models show that you must replace current patterns and habits with healthier choices, but there is little incentive to stay on that path in our community. The poorest of the poor are those that battle dual diagnosis, and this runs the gambit of recidivism. People would rather get fed and a place to sleep in jail than live on the streets, so they commit crime. For some this lifestyle is a permanent choice and no matter what you do they would choose it. It is proven that there is an entire subgroup within that population that wants recovery, but don’t know how. Yes there are wonderful programs, but there is a missing link within our community, and BLACK Ink will fit in that niche’ Current incentive systems are failing. There must be a better solution. In my experience staying sober throughout a mental treatment court there was no true incentive other than staying out of jail. This journey was very difficult while being on disability for the first time in my life. What may have seemed like an incentive a “basket” was a slap in the face. People that are used to getting the basics for “free” want the luxuries, not a box of granola bars! With miles upon miles of the paperwork it takes to be poor in this city, you might as well work a full time desk job. And what does a woman want for a desk job? A new outfit? Maybe several. From the mall even? Or a haircut and color? Or dental work…or a massage or a chiropractor visit for an aching back. Or even to be able to take her children somewhere fun. These are the things that average Americans take for granted and a lot of people in recovery never even see the sight of these types of luxuries. They are out of reach for most. BLACK Ink wants to make these types of incentives possible for people in recovery. With an initial focus on helping those with dualbdiagnosis. And no paper trail. No forms for service. Not “another” application…but a real sincere opportunity for people to feel valued in making good decisions for themselves. I am so tired of lengthy applications for services! I don’t even want to look at them for other people, I just want to hear their need and meet it. Coupled with our Certified Peer Mentoring program, these incentives will gain attention in the community. People who have been wanting to make changes will see the effort by our community to invest in them. This is not a handout. There will be no cash. There will be no reporting to the government on spending. This is a business for people’s prosperity. I know that grant money is, extremely rare. And there has been lots of fighting over who gets what. I plan to use my own settlement for mental health reform to start this business. Where God takes it from there…well that’s the vision. The only requirement for incentives is to be active in recovery and working with one of our peer mentors. This career opportunity as a peer mentor will completely change the dynamic of recovery in our city. The “Program” can only do so much and the legal system is extremely lucky it is free. It works well but sponsorship lines for the dual diagnosed are hard to come by. It takes one to know one and mental illness is not really an accepted conversation in regular AA meetings. It’s allowed but we must keep our shares related to how it pertains to alcoholism. The opportunity for someone with two years in recovery to mentor and have a good paying job in a non-professional setting is surely a blessing. All about incentive. Sobriety values and atmosphere will be at the forefront of what we do. I know that there are group meetings for the mentally ill and I have attended them and felt very stigmatized. Some people are sicker than others and that is just the way it is, we must find a way to care for them all. BLACK Ink will be a welcoming place for all recovery minded individuals…and we never know who that may be! Overall the intention of BLACK Ink is to bridge the gap in our community between the “Good Deed Doers” services, the medical and legal system, and the populations being served. By utilizing the wealth of people already in recovery in our community and giving them the extra incentive to make a difference. One of my sponsors with mental illness has probably sponsored 50 people in the past few years…she could be a mentor and be paid for her time! And not have to give things out of her own pocket!!! What an amazing addition to this wheel we go around in! PEER MENTOR JOB QUALIFICATIONS The Peer Mentor will act as a facilitator of growth and recovery for the served individual, by utilizing personal experience. The Peer Mentor must have two years in proven recovery in order to apply to mentor. There will be a lengthy interview process including a two –five page essay on their own recovery process. They also must be able to tell their recovery story out loud, in a ten minute version, as well as a quick “elevator story.” They must be able to interact in one-on-one sessions which length of time will depend on need. The mentor must be able to advise the individual utilizing skills they have found to be helpful in their own recovery. They must understand and have completed the 12 steps of recovery and be able to apply them to life circumstances. PEER MENTOR OVERSIGHT The mentors will have supervision and clinical oversight. This oversight will be established through Black Ink. The clinical oversight insures that our mentors stay positive and healthy while helping others. Wages will be paid out of the Montana State Medicaid fund. The base pay for peer mentorship will be about $20 an hour. Medicaid pays about $51 for this service, so there will be some profit after the overhead. Mentors will be paid hourly and document time spent with individuals. No over-time allowed at Black Ink. Twenty hours or less hours per week. I believe healthy people should have more time for themselves and family. This job opportunity in itself creates incentive for recovery and is a recovery based model. People helping people. Settings: Peer mentors will be allowed to mentor in all public places where the individual is comfortable. They can go to coffee, get pedicures together…go to a movie…etc. These benefits will be paid for out of the Black, Ink Fund. SERVED POPULATIONS Peer Mentors will go to established institutions to initialize contact with prospective individuals. This includes places like the jail, Community Crisis Centers, hospitals, social services and recovery based settings. The mentor will assess if they will be able to help the individual by completing two one-on –one sessions. This gives them the opportunity to decide if they are the right fit, or if someone else is better suited. No individual that asks for help will be left without a mentor. Referrals from other agencies also welcome. BILLINGS AREA RESOURCE NETWORK (BARN) In 2007 to 2009 the proprietor of BLACK Ink helped establish the BARN. This is an extensive survey and information available to the public of our community’s resources. The proprietor established the logo for the BARN and plans to use the resource lists to aid in facilitation of basic needs. This however will not replace the role of established case managers…only that peers will be trained to know the resources available in our community. Proprietor will do this training. PEER MMENTOR TRAINING Each mentor will be trained by the Montana Peer Network which is already an established entity. They will be trained as required by Montana Medicaid. Peers must be certified through the state. In all the above mentioned competencies. Montana Peer Network does the training for free and the state certifies now. I am certified with MPN but not the state and do not have to be because I am the owner, not a direct service mentor. I chose indirect service because I found working with community development to be the most rewarding professionally and the least draining emotionally and it was a behind the scenes operation. COMPANY CULTURE Location: Office space Downtown would be the most accommodating. Black Ink must be available to on foot traffic. We will not give rides to BLACK Ink, only once established with a peer will that be allowed. Proper liability will be in place and gas will be reimbursed with receipts. Plenty of people walk or bike for their needs whether that is to a job or to get drugs. Coming to our “store front” shows initiative and dedication to our culture. Close to the courthouse would be ideal. There needs to be a separate room for for offices and a large open space for the Alano Club. Atmosphere: It will be eclectic and there will be an espresso bar with a barista. I’ve been a barista before so maybe that will be me! Comfortable, warm and inviting. Couches and chairs and kind of a “hangout” feel. There will be pictures on the wall of famous people that are diagnosed mentally ill or addicted. Nothing will be overly expensive or feel like a “doctor’s office” Magazines for reading, a library of books about recovery…Including my books! Think everything inspirational all over the place, kind of eclectic. A long table with chairs for training sessions…and we will close to the public during trainings. A projector and screen for trainings and occasional movie nights! Remember I am not allowed at the Arthouse Cinema and “PUB” House! The space needs to be large. Hours to be determined as we go... Everyone is welcome to stop by. No matter disability or not…I don’t want the place to feel stigmatized. We are all just people. We come in every shape and size and we are all different yet with the same types of needs. Love, compassion and understanding. But yes, my priority at this time will be people with dual diagnosis. I am sure when people find out I am giving incentives I will have a line of people in recovery. I will not turn them away…I will have conversations with them about their needs and and outline of what exactly we offer, kind of like a menu. A gradual increasing incentive program. For example today is a “free latte” and for thirty days we will give you movie passes, and for your year, braces for you child. I say that because my own son is asking for braces! These incentives will be individually based and decided upon entrance to our Peer Mentor program. I will say: “If you weren’t afraid to ask me for anything you wanted in life monetarily what would it be? And would a year in recovery make you strive for that goal?” I am not against buying used cars for a one year! Because my business is loaded lol, right??? I would like one full time assistant to start. I will be in and out throughout the days. My disability does not include staying in the same place all day and for whatever reasons I could rarely keep jobs that made me do that. I am always available by text or call. If I need to go somewhere and there is no staff I am allowed to close. A “Be back” sign…Should I need to be hospitalized I will have a sign for the door. Something to the effect that we must all understand that these things can happen to anyone. And sometimes I go five years without a episode. Groups: There will be set times in the day for people to meet and hang out together. Let’s say 2 – 4…and in the evenings...AND NOT TALK ABOUT RECOVERY OR MENTALL ILLNESS!!! JUST BE PEOPLE! AND MAYBE A POOL TABLE!!! That is the number one problem with “groups.” And I didn’t even have a real group with the court which would have been nice. I don’t want it to be a setting where we talk about problems for an hour!!! No. NO. NO. That is being done already. I took one accounting class in college and hated it. I will have an accountant for BLACK Ink. Peers will have forms to track expenditures on individuals. We will have a report that generates how much we have spent per individual and track that with their sobriety. Most of the people we work with will be on UA’s, but not all. We have no way to verify their sobriety and do not care. Some people will lie and that is just the way of it. Typically that means they at least want to try. And no it is not a set amount. I remember working with homeless veterans and we had a huge grant and could only spend exactly $75 on each man. That is terrible and that is why I do not want to be a non-profit that has to report everything from a grant. The way we generate incoming spendable finances will be through the Medicaid waiver paid at $51.00 per peer mentor. The overhead for these payouts is taxes, liability insurance and clinical oversight which will all be accommodated by BLACK Ink. PILOT PROJECT >I Want BlACK Ink to be such a benefit to the legal system and hospitals that it is seen as a priority for funding if and when settlement money runs out. I want a two-year pilot project for BLACK Ink to become self-sustaining. If this should fail miserable, it was still worth trying. I want to partner with our legal system, medical and social services providers. If I am a business and not a non-profit then there is no need for anyone to fight with menover funding. I feel that BLACK Ink will be so beneficial to the community, that the reward of just knowing that we are making a difference for those less fortunate than myself, that struggle with mental illness, will be plenty. This is the missing link. I am Miranda Dye, Black Ink. And I am going to sue the City of Billings Municipal Court for their lack of care and due diligence concerning my time in their mental health court. For pain and suffering, character defamation , not recognizing my sobriety and never even caring to know what I go through. This is what I heard… “Your illness is not that bad, Miranda.” Never say that to anyone again. I also plan to bring suit to the Department of Corrections for multiple infractions upon my health and well being during the dramatics of the past eight years since texting an ex boyfriend. if there is another way to do something like my plan without a suit, I am more than willing to listen to the idea...but I dont think there is. JUST ALWAYS THE SAME OLD SAME OLD. There is no way anyone will ever know the pain that my illness has rendered on my life. I want to be a voice for those that cannot stand up for themselves…because my illness comes and goes, and I am often well and recovered. Every time I rebuild it is destroyed. And being a felon for texting someone I loved in psychosis, has mutilated my life to shambles. IF all that I have been through to get to this place matters to just one other person, then it will be worth it all. But I hope to help a lot more. I will have an advisory Board for BLACK Ink, consisting of people of my own choosing. More than likely the only people that have stood by my side through this, and that is people in the “program.” My character has been defamed through all this in a seeming less attack on the very needs that I worked facilitating services as a volunteer in Community Development for two years. This project is to be separate from the City Of Billings, but will be a partner.