Drug-addicted military veterans charged with crimes soon will be able to take advantage of a new county program aimed to help them successfully integrate back into the community.

Pierce County Superior Court will use a $900,000 federal grant to be paid out over three years to create a veterans drug court, the county announced Wednesday. The grant comes from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

“Our hope would be that it could extend,” court administrator Andra Motyka said. “This is a significant need in our community.”

The court will work with the nonprofit Pierce County Alliance, veterans offices and government agencies to provide substance-abuse treatment, job training and other help to veterans who qualify for the program.

The program will be associated with Pierce County’s well-established and nationally recognized civilian drug court, which has been in operation since 1994 and helps people try to break the cycle of addiction.

County officials estimate that more than 95,000 veterans call Pierce County home, a large percentage of them having served recently in Afghanistan and Iraq. Only those veterans who have been honorably discharged, have drug dependencies and are charged with nonviolent crimes or drug offenses can qualify for the program. A judge will decide who is admitted.

Court officials hope to have the program up and running by February, Motyka said. They hope to serve about 35 veterans per year.

Adam Lynn, The News Tribune