Town of St. Petersburg, Florida, is allocating $1 million from an opioid settlement to nonprofit organizations working to handle the opioid disaster by means of remedy and restoration assist companies.
As a part of the settlement, St. Petersburg will obtain $6 million over 18 years.
Town is seeking to fill useful resource or service gaps locally and plans to make use of the cash to supply grants for brand new and revolutionary proposals that aren’t already being funded by present sources, town stated in a information launch.
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Grants can be awarded to proposals that supply respite housing, overdose prevention, substance use prevention and schooling, hurt discount and peer assist, with precedence given to proposals that target respite housing, hurt discount and peer assist.
“There’s by no means sufficient assist for habit as charges proceed to extend,” Matthew Schaefer, the director of operations for Actual Restoration Options, advised Fox 13.
Actual Restoration Options, which runs sober dwelling services in Pinellas County and across the Tampa Bay area, just isn’t eligible for the grant cash however does work with non-profits that may use the funds to sponsor somebody, the outlet reported.
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“[Non-profits] will fund possibly two to 3 weeks of sober dwelling. And provides that recovering addict an opportunity to go discover a job and begin paying their very own lease,” Schaefer stated.
One of many largest wants within the area, in line with Schaefer, is making detox remedy extra accessible and inexpensive. Many detox facilities are privately funded and require full fee or insurance coverage, however others have lengthy wait lists to get a mattress.
“[Addicts] are advised, ‘hey, you recognize, we’re three to 5 days out from a mattress.’ There is a lack of assets for our underfunded or noninsured group. I feel that that could possibly be an enormous assist. Sadly, that three to 5 days may actually, actually be life or loss of life,” Schaefer stated.
Nonprofit teams got till October 20 to use for grant cash by means of town of St. Petersburg.
