LOS ANGELES — The number of people with mental illness and addiction issues in Los Angeles County jails has surged 20% since 2020, with more than 5,000 people with mental health needs, according to statistics from the county Sheriff’s Department.

To address the crisis, the Board of Supervisors recently voted to expand the Office of Diversion and Reentry by 1,000 additional beds by 2025. The program transitions inmates into an unlocked facility operated by mental health professionals, not deputies.

Before he entered ODR, Tanuomaaleu You was a high-frequency offender in the jail system. You explained how he spent decades living on the streets, addicted to crack and performing sex work to survive.

“I’ve been through hell,” he said.

You found himself back in Men’s Central Jail in 2020, facing seven years in prison for aggravated assault when his lawyer flagged him for diversion. After a judge signed off on the alternative program, You moved into a small home surrounded by on-site medical services, therapy and case management.

Participants are allowed to come and go and continue to use drugs as they work toward sobriety.

If You were to be successful, he would receive permanent housing.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell authored the motion to expand ODR earlier this year, hoping the program will address recidivism and overcrowding in LA County lockups.

“I’m interested in stopping the churn,” Mitchell said. “I’m interested in providing a community-based alternative to incarceration and we have to stand up that infrastructure.”

After a year in ODR, 74% of participants remained in stable housing, and only 14% had new felony convictions, according to statistics from LA County. That’s compared to 24% of former inmates who did not receive diversion.

Participants are allowed to come and go as they please. And at one point, You took advantage of the freedom to make a run for it. That’s when a crisis team kicked into gear and found him in Las Vegas.

“I understood a true sense of encouragers. They didn’t care where I was,” he said. “It wasn’t a good place. Those are the days when I reflect and I think, ‘Wow. They really did care about me. They pulled me up. They held me until I was OK.’”

Flash forward to now, You just moved in to his permanent housing with onsite support. He’s sober and on track to receive a bachelor’s degree.

“Being able to say I cooked a meal, I didn’t have to eat out of the trash can and ask for extra food, I think about that,” he said.

He’s finally savoring success and a place to call home.