Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved $6 million in opioid settlement funds to support organizations addressing substance abuse or mental health at Tuesday’s meeting.
Back in May, the board discussed plans for $72.7 million in opioid settlement funds.
The money will be distributed, in rounds, to Mecklenburg County through 2038.
The county has already received $32.4 million.
So far, the board has expanded the Queen City Harm Reduction’s Syringe Services Program and hired a new team member in the County Manager’s Office to help implement initiatives, among other things.
From July 15 – Aug. 15, the county received applications from local organizations requesting funding from the settlements.
Proposals are divided into five categories of opioid treatment and addiction-related services: employment-related services,evidence-based addiction treatment, early intervention, recovery support services and recovery housing support.
At Tuesday’s meeting, 17 of the 78 community applications were approved. received
Of the requested $37 million in funding, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners approved $6 million toward:
- $1,000,000 – Queen City Harm Reduction to provide permanent housing to 40 people per year and rental and utility assistance to an additional 135 people
- $820,000 – Hopes Homes Recovery Services to expand its recovery housing capacity to serve 40 more individuals throughout six MAT homes
- $637,000 – Oxford House to house 50 individuals who are transitioning from incarceration
- $500,000 – Charlotte Health Community Clinic to offer Medication-Assisted Treatment, MAT to those under or uninsured
- $393,000 – Continuum Care Services to support a pilot recovery housing program for 12 low-income women of color
- $386,000 – Project 658’s program to teach youth and families about substance abuse risk factors
- $372,000 – Carolina Cares Partnership to provide peer navigation and mental health treatment to Latinx and LGBTQIA populations in treatment and recovery and hire a Peer Support Specialist and Addictions Specialist to provide substance use treatment to 100 individuals over two years
- $253,000 – Thompson Child and Family Focus to implement a curriculum focused on the dangers of prescription opioid use
- $250,000 – Amity Medical Group’s MAT and transportation vouchers for uninsured and underinsured patients
- $250,000 – Hope Haven to hire a new team of certified Peer Support Specialists that will focus on helping residents improve their wellbeing
- $250,000 – McLeod Centers for Wellbeing to develop an emergency financial assistance fund to support past-due rent and utility disconnection
- $210,000 – SMART Recovery USA expand evidence-based mutual support groups that focus on self-management and recovery training and hire a community outreach coordinator
- $200,000 – Charlotte Area Fund to provide comprehensive employment services, such as obtaining certificates in high-demand fields like highway construction and fiber optics
- $167,000 – Amity Medical Group to fund two positions for recovery support services, a Peer Support Specialist and a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist – Associate
- $166,000 – Hope Haven to provide residents with soft skills, technical skills and job placement through a workforce development program
- $158,000 – National Center on Institutions and Alternatives to provide employment services, such as vocational training, job placement, interview coaching and resume reviews, to those in treatment or recovery from opioid use
- $110,000 – Children’s Home Society of North Carolina to provide quarterly training to 100 foster parents to remain licensed as foster parents and provide a substance use prevention kit.
