About WRAP+

WRAP+ is short for Winona County Reentry Assistance Program Plus. The program contains three main components (1) an extensive cross-training program for criminal justice and behavioral health personnel; (2) a social worker embedded in the jail to address in-jail behavior health concerns of inmates and to conduct or coordinate additional assessments or referrals and (3) an expanded re-entry program to assist persons who have been involved with the criminal justice system to help them avoid further involvement in the system.

Reentry refers to the return of offenders from incarceration back into the community. A reentry program is a program that helps an offender address the gaps or issues that may prevent an offender as they transition into the community. Some of the common things that a reentry program can assist people with include housing, chemical dependency and mental health assessment and treatment, transportation, and getting ID cards and birth certificates. 

WRAP+ is an enhanced reentry program, offering more than previous Winona County reentry programs. Following are the enhancements of WRAP+:

• WRAP+ has expanded eligibility criteria and does not require an individual to have been incarcerated in order to access services.
• Risk, mental health and chemical dependency screens are performed at jail admission or upon referral to the program.
• Qualified individuals are paired with an Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services Worker (also called a Mental Health Practitioner) to work with the participant to identify areas of needed services and to assist the individual in accessing services.
• Funding is available through the grant to assist things like as rent, transportation, education, identification documents,  and related expenses.

Adult residents of Winona County who have high risks and needs and are involved in the criminal justice system, who have mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders, who agree to participate and who are not excluded due to risk of violence or criminal history are eligible for WRAP+.  There may be certain restrictions based on health insurance. Each one of these criteria is further explained in the WRAP+ Policy and Procedure Manual located on the WRAP+ Forms Page.

All individuals who are booked into the Winona County Jail are given an opportunity to apply for WRAP+. Referrals are also welcome from other sources, including self-referrals. To apply for WRAP+ an individual must complete a Combined Screening & Application Form. This form is available  on the WRAP+ Forms page. Completed applications should be delivered to Trish Chandler, Jail Intake Worker in the Winona County Jail or e-mailed to her at [email protected].

• Referral & Screening
• Application & Eligibility (Target Population) Verification
• Assessment
• Case Management
• Program Completion
• Alumni Participation

See the WRAP+ Forms Page for a Program Flowchart which illustrates the different stages of WRAP+.

No, this is expressly forbidden by the WRAP+ Policy and Procedure Manual. The intent of the program is to assist people in getting the help they need to avoid further involvement with the criminal justice system, not to add more charges.

Completed applications are reviewed by the Jail Intake Worker to determine whether the applicant is eligible to participate in the program.  This is called “target population verification.” All applicants will be notified of eligibility determination. Applicants who do not qualify may re-apply or request an appeal of the eligibility decision to the WRAP+ Advisory Council.

The next stage of WRAP+ is the assessment stage, when an accepted applicant works with a case manager to arrange for and obtain mental health and/or chemical dependency assessments. Applicants will be required to sign a WRAP+ Release of Information at this stage and will also be eligible for funding for assessments.

Case management through WRAP+ will be provided by the Winona County Treatment Court Coordinator (for participants who are in treatment court) or a Mental Health Practitioner (for participants who are not in treatment court). The Jail Social Worker will provide transitional case management services to individuals who apply for the program while incarcerated until a referral can be made to Treatment Court or a Mental Health Practitioner.  The referral to your initial case manager will be made by the Jail Intake Worker at the time you are accepted to WRAP+.

During the case management stage, the agencies and individuals involved in the participant’s case plan and in the recovery processes work together with the participant (and the people in his or her support system) to develop collaborative and comprehensive case plans or care coordination plans (collectively “case plans”).  The case manager works directly with the participant to assist, adjust and monitor the case plan.

WRAP+ provides different levels of funding for individuals as they progress through the WRAP+ Program, as described below. You can learn more in the WRAP+ Policy and Procedure Manual located on the WRAP+ Forms Page.

• Tier 1 Funding is available to accepted applicants (those persons who have applied for and been accepted into the program and signed a WRAP+ Release of Information). Tier 1 Funding pays for the cost of mental health and chemical dependency assessments if there is no other readily available source of funding. Tier 1 Funding will be terminated for Accepted Applicants who do not become a WRAP+ participant within 30 days of referral to treatment court or HVMH, unless the failure to become a WRAP+ Participant is not the fault of the Accepted Applicant

• Tier 2 Funding is available to WRAP+ participants (an accepted applicants who are a treatment court participant or have been referred to HVMH). Tier 2 Funding includes the following:
• Housing: rental application fee, payment of rent, utility bills
• Health:  chemical dependency assessment, diagnostic/mental health assessment, domestic violence assessment, medical expenses, dental expenses, vision expenses, medications.
• Identification: identification cards, Social Security cards, birth certificate
• Clothing/shoes: $30 voucher to use at Winona Volunteer Services on clothing or shoes, essential toiletries
• Transportation: bus pass, cab fees, license reinstatement fees
• Education: application fee; GED fee; books, web access fees

• Tier 3 Funding: Tier 3 Funding is identical to Tier 2 Funding, but it available only to WRAP+ Alumni (persons who have successfully completed WRAP+) for up to six months following the date of program completion.

Yes.  As noted above, some expenses only apply to individuals who are certain stages of WRAP+. Additionally, there are other restrictions on funding as noted below and as included in the downloadable excerpt of the Funding section of the Policy & Procedure Manual, which can be accessed by on the WRAP+ Forms Page.

Unallowable Expenses:  The following expenses cannot be funded with WRAP+ funds:

• Expenses that would fund items in violation of probation terms or a court order.
• Monitoring expenses
• Expenses that extend beyond a year: security deposit
• Personal items: makeup, non job-related clothing, cell phone.
• Direct payments: payments made directly to the person for whom funding is sought
• Other: food, expenses that can be readily paid by another source, illegal items, fines, gas cards, past due expenses, phone cards, restitution

Connection to Case Plan: Tier 2 and 3 funding requests must be consistent with and in furtherance of the participant’s case plan or care coordination plan.

Exhaustion of Other Funding Sources:  WRAP+ Funds are to be used as a last resort.  All appropriate service agencies and/or organizations must be checked for expendable dollars, donations or waived fees prior to filling out this request.  If a request is considered time-sensitive, such that waiting for an eligibility determination from another source will adversely impact the person for whom funding is sought, WRAP+ funds may be used to cover the costs of the request.

Funding requests are only accepted directly case managers or the Jail Intake Worker. 

Tier 1 Funding requests for assessments must be made through the Jail Social Worker, Treatment Court Coordinator, or Jail Intake Worker, as set forth in the Policy & Procedure Manual, Section V. Tier 2 & 3 funding requests MUST be made through a case manager (treatment court coordinator or mental health practitioner).

A person requesting funding must complete a WRAP+ Funding Request Form. Any associated documentation, such as a lease agreement or bill must be provided with the Request form. A W-9 Form signed by the vendor (payee) should also be included. Funding requests can be sent to the WRAP+ Program Manager at [email protected]. Typically, requests for funding are processed within 1-2 business days of receipt and the requestor will be notified of the funding decision.  Case managers are responsible for obtaining a WRAP+ Receipt from any participants who has received funding.