NC Expands LEAD Addiction Diversion Program to Greensboro, Other Cities

We can't arrest our way out of addiction. We need treatment and recovery services so that people can get well, follow the law, and contribute to their communities," Gov. Josh Stein said Tuesday as he announced a major expansion of North Carolina's Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program to Greensboro and five other communities across the state.

Stein made the announcement in Fayetteville, unveiling a $1.5 million state investment expanding the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition's LEAD program to strengthen what officials call a treatment-first alternative to arrest. He was joined by North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai and local leaders, with the expansion bringing the program to seven law enforcement agencies across six communities: Fayetteville, Albemarle, Gaston County, Greensboro, New Hanover County, Robeson County, and Harnett County.

In Greensboro, the LEAD team will operate in conjunction with the Greensboro Police Department, providing officers the opportunity to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and instead introduce them to community resources. Both the Greensboro Police Department and the city's Community Safety Department are named as supported entities under the expansion.

The numbers behind LEAD make a compelling case for scaling the program. Dr. Elyse Powell, Executive Director of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, said her organization is "excited to expand strategies that we know work," pointing to data showing LEAD participants are "almost 40% less likely to be rearrested or face new charges after enrollment."

LEAD programs provide law enforcement alternatives to punitive action for low-level, non-violent crimes that typically involve substance use. A peer outreach worker screens each client for eligibility, and if accepted, each person is assigned to a case worker who connects them with appropriate mental health, medical, and social services.

The $1.5 million awarded by NCDHHS to the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition carries an explicit emphasis on unserved areas that lack the resources to operate a program. NCHRC will serve as the lead coordinating and implementation partner statewide, providing centralized project management, technical assistance, and oversight to participating counties, while supporting site readiness, workforce development, cross-system coordination, and data reporting.

The expansion builds on a decade of work in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. The Fayetteville Police Department launched its LEAD program in 2016, the first in the South and among the first in the nation, with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office joining in 2023. The program has previously expanded using national opioid settlement funds that Stein helped secure during his tenure as Attorney General.

NCDHHS Secretary Sangvai framed the expansion in clear public health terms: "LEAD recognizes that substance use challenges are public health issues with public safety consequences. What we are launching today is a system that allows communities to respond better and more efficiently to people with substance use and mental health needs. This is exactly what integrated care looks like."

Stein echoed that framing, saying Fayetteville and Cumberland County have used opioid settlement funds to grow a program that "has long been a model for the rest of the state," and calling the $1.5 million investment "a meaningful step forward in keeping people healthy and safe by expanding LEAD in 6 more communities.