KINGMAN – A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday, June 3, for the Mohave County Reach Out Facility following Sheriff Doug Schuster’s opening remarks.
Mohave County Sheriff Schuster and State Senator Hildy Angius, former Mohave County Supervisor, cut the ribbon, officially opening it for business.
On the first floor will be the Reach Out team who will screen individuals released from jail for mental health, substance abuse, whether or not they’re employed, if homeless, if they have medical insurance, or if they need food. They will then connect them with resources that can help, according to Tami Thompson, Re-entry program supervisor at the facility.
“This re-entry program is to prevent people from continuing in their criminal path,” Schuster said.
It will also save taxpayers money and has already saved more than $800K, according to Thompson, who has been working to help former inmates before the facility officially opened June 3.
“We have a 20-year-old male whose mother died from cancer. That left him homeless and desperate. I imagine anyone homeless would feel desperate,” Thompson said.
“He started using meth, but we helped him get into the John Volken Academy in a two-year program. He’s working on a GED and learning job skills.”
The second floor of the building has a 12-bed detox center, a nurses station, a conference room and a laundry room.
Construction on the Reach Out Facility began in 2024 and was completed four months ago according to Sheriff Schuster.
“We were just waiting on the elevator permit of occupancy,” Schuster said.
The Reach Out Facility in Kingman was an inspiration of Sheriff David Rhodes’ Reach Out Facility in Yavapai County, who attended the grand opening.
Rhodes said that since the opening of Yavapai County’s facility, the crime rate has dropped 15 percent, the jail costs have been reduced by 33 percent, and it has increased public safety and health.
Mohave County’s Reach Out Facility was constructed by Concord Construction and designed inside and out by LGA Architecture.
