MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen H. Shaw joined Sheriff James M. Gannon and Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll at Calvary Baptist Church to mark the ninth anniversary of Hope One, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office mobile outreach program recognized as a model for addressing addiction, supporting recovery and improving mental health services.
This year’s event shifted from a traditional symposium to a community resource fair, bringing together county staff, law enforcement and more than 30 local service providers where attendees connected with organizations offering direct support, including the Morris County Department of Human Services’ Navigating Hope program.
“It is remarkable to reflect on how this effort began in 2017, starting out of a repurposed vehicle and growing into a program now recognized far beyond Morris County,” Director Shaw said. “Hope One introduced a new approach by meeting people where they are, with zero judgment and zero stigma. That approach has made it possible to build trust and open doors to recovery. Its success is driven by strong partnerships across county government, law enforcement and community organizations working toward a common goal.”
View More Photos from Hope One’s Ninth Anniversary
Director Shaw noted the Board of County Commissioners has supported the initiative through targeted funding, directing more than $820,000 in opioid settlement funds over the past two years toward prevention, recovery services and naloxone training. The county’s 2026 budget again includes $300,000 to assist individuals experiencing homelessness and an additional $150,000 for homelessness prevention.
“This celebration of Hope One on its nine-year anniversary is very special,” said Sheriff Gannon. “We saw a need for outreach and created a program on the fly, with no blueprint. The impact has been tremendous. There have been so many connections made, lives touched and people saved. The outreach will continue, and Hope One will be there to help lift people out of darkness and into the light of hope.”
Hope One’s mobile model brings trained professionals into communities across Morris County to provide support for individuals and families struggling with drug addiction, with the goals of preventing drug overdoses and deaths, as well as mental health services. The team offers free naloxone education, training and kits. The unit is staffed through a partnership among the Sheriff’s Office, the Morris County Department of Human Services, the Mental Health Association and the Center for Addiction Recovery Education and Success, and includes a plainclothes sheriff’s officer, a certified peer recovery specialist and a mental health professional.
Since its launch in 2017, the Hope One program has made more than 71,700 community contacts, distributed 13,608 naloxone kits and facilitated more than 2,134 referrals to services. On average, a new contact is made every 6.19 minutes. There have been 193 recorded instances in which naloxone was used to save or attempt to save a life.
“I thank all of the organizations here for what you do. The impact you have saves lives,” said Prosecutor Carroll. “These programs give people another option that didn’t exist before and help ensure individuals are guided toward the right path. By working together, we’re continuing to expand opportunities for recovery and successful reintegration, and we’re continuing to build up our communities.”
The Sheriff’s Office has expanded its outreach through several complementary initiatives. Hope Hub convenes representatives from 83 social service organizations to meet weekly and review cases involving individuals and families with complex needs or acutely elevated risk– situations with a high probability of imminent, significant harm to an individual, family or community. Since its inception in March 2021, 856 individuals and families have been referred to the program and acutely elevated risk has been reduced in 97 percent of situations.
Other programs that have grown out of Hope One include the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI), launched in 2019, which connects individuals to services through 26 participating police departments, including the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office Identification Card Program, established in 2017, has issued 1,688 identification cards to at-risk and homeless individuals who may lack documentation needed to access services. In 2021, Community Connections was created in partnership with the Prosecutor’s Office and the Superior Court of Morris County and has helped 791 individuals involved in the justice system access services across multiple court settings.
Hope One’s influence has extended beyond Morris County, with nine other New Jersey counties launching similar mobile outreach programs modeled after the initiative.
During the event, Sheriff Gannon recognized Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Chelsea Whiting, who now leads the Hope One initiative following Erica Valvano’s 2025 retirement, and Madine Despeine-Udoh, director of Self Help, Advocacy and Education at the Mental Health Association (MHA). Both are being recognized by the New Jersey Office of Attorney General next month for their work in community engagement.
For more information about Hope One, visit the Official Website of Morris County, N.J.
