By Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com Reporter
MOUNT VERNON — When the Court of Common Pleas’ Adult Court Services moves to 118 E. High St. later this fall, Probation Officer Joshua Gutridge envisions the site to be a “single point of multi-service agencies.”
The new location has enough classroom and consulting space for two or three organizations to meet with probationers at the same time. Gutridge wants to make the space available to other agencies in the county that work with the same population. Potential agencies include Behavioral Health Partners, Knox County Job & Family Services and the Freedom Center.
“The goal is to have everybody come in and get all of the services they need in one day,” he said. Those services include GED training, trauma counseling and anger management, to name a few. He also wants to establish a computer lab and self-help groups. Often, job certification and obtaining a GED are requirements of the court’s community sanctions program.
He would like each organization to schedule a block of time when a representative is present. With predetermined times, Gutridge and other probation officers can schedule appointments for their probationers rather than leaving it up to them to schedule appointments. This also makes it easier for probationers to arrange transportation, a problem that often leads to missed appointments and lack of followup.
Gutridge is looking at the most common offenses to see determine which groups could best use the space. Using grant money, Adult Court Services plans to hire an additional probation officer; Gutridge is hopeful that with the additional officer, night appointments might be an option for probationers who work during the day.
“The more we work together, the better for this town and community,” he said.