New London AIC Program Manager Discusses Operations At Agency

Ann Block, who is legally blind in one eye, tells her clients that she doesn’t let the problem hinder her aspirations. Block, the program manager at Alternative in the Community, spoke before the Kiwanis Club of New London at their last meeting.

Alternative In The Community, formerly known as the Alternative Incarceration Center, recently moved from 240 State Street to 555 Bank Street. The nonprofit organization provides services such as substance abuse counseling, job training and placement, and drug and alcohol testing for people who are accused of nonviolent crimes and awaiting trial or who are serving a term of probation.

“It’s good for the area, and I’ve seen some people turn their lives around,” said Block.

Block graduated from the University of Iowa with the original intention of becoming a music teacher. She worked in the corporate world for awhile before becoming a police officer in Fort Collins, Colo. She came to Connecticut with her husband and worked as a case manager and court liaison with AIC before becoming program manager. She has been with the organization for eight years.

“Were basically an alternative to being locked up,” she said. “Our goal is to reduce the recidivism rate.”

Block said AIC doesn’t provide any sort of residential or substance abuse treatment options. One recent initiative has involved helping clients to get a driver’s license. She said the organization also works with businesses to help employ clients, noting that employers get a federal tax break for doing so.

“There’s a lot of incentives to get these people working, so they don’t just keep stealing from seniors or picking your pocketbook,” she said.

The New London AIC is one of five in the state, said Block.