LOUISVILLE — Today at ChooseWell Communities, a Louisville nonprofit whose mission is to create a community that supports families in recovery, Mayor Craig Greenberg announced 21 proposed recipients for the second round of opioid settlement funding totaling $5.3 million. The Mayor also recognized MetroSafe 911 telecommunicators and announced this week’s Louisvillian Doing Good.
Today, Mayor Greenberg was joined by the Louisville Opioid Settlement Advisory Board to announce recommendations for proposals to be funded by the second opioid settlement allotment of $5.3 million. This follows the $900 million in opioid settlement funds secured by the state of Kentucky in 2021, with funding distributed across the commonwealth for use on evidence-based strategies to address opioid prevention, treatment and recovery. Louisville has received $7.2 million in total settlement funds, with $2 million in the first round of funding previously approved for distribution by Metro Council in August 2023.
“After extensive research and community listening, we know our community wants these dollars to help save lives, help fuel prevention efforts, support addiction treatment and recovery and help address homelessness – and today I am proud to announce that is exactly what this funding will do,” said Mayor Greenberg. “The $5.2 million will fund 21 projects throughout Louisville and offer direct support to those affected by opioid addiction. This is progress we will continue to build on as we create a safer, stronger and healthier city for everyone.”
The following 21 projects are being recommended for funding. They focus on opioid use prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery, as well as homelessness and wrap around medical, mental and social services support.
|
Applicant Organization |
Amount Recommended |
Project Category |
Project Summary |
| Beacon House Aftercare | $114,376 | Treatment and recovery support | Targeted case management and therapeutic services at long-term residential recovery housing |
| ChooseWell Communities 1: Housing | $239,280 | Treatment and recovery support | Extend housing pilot to 40 more families in early recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD)/substance use disorder (SUD) |
| ChooseWell Communities 2: Employment training | $316,352 | Treatment and recovery support | 12-week supported employment program for individuals in recovery from OUD/SUD with children under the age of five |
| Community Advocates for Resources and Empowerment, Inc. | $300,000 | Homelessness | Expand staffing to increase capacity for care coordination and establish an Electronic Health Record (EHR) |
| DELTA Foundation, Inc. | $16,275 | Primary prevention | Free mental health services for youth in DELTA after-school programs in West Louisville with focus on Black/African American youth and those experiencing poverty |
| Family Health Centers, Inc. | $250,150 | Treatment and recovery support | Expand medication-assisted treatment program including Vivitrol, oral Naltrexone, Naloxone, and Suboxone |
| Family Scholar House | $365,420 | Treatment and recovery support | Wraparound services, workforce and education training, family integration, life skills training, and referral services with focus on single parents, foster alumni, and college students + MyKy.Infokiosks at partner sites |
| House of Hope of Kentucky | $161,860 | Homelessness | Mental health clinic for women experiencing homelessness who have completed a treatment program for SUD |
| Jewish Family and Career Services of Louisville, Inc | $108,789 | Primary prevention | Youth primary prevention embedded in therapy, case management, career counseling, and food pantry services with focus on judicial and foster system involved youth |
| Joshua Community Connectors, Inc. | $100,000 | Treatment and recovery support | Targeted case management and housing assistance/stabilization services for adults with OUD/SUD |
| Legal Aid Society | $212,850 | Treatment and recovery support | Free civil legal support for low-income individuals and families in West Louisville affected by OUD to enable successful reentry |
| Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness |
$718,789
|
Treatment and recovery support | Free community Narcan distribution, support the Medication Oriented Recovery and Enhancement (MORE) Program providing medication-assisted treatment and counseling to individuals with OUD and to create, sustain, and expand community-based strategies focused on communities most profoundly affected by OUD. |
| Maryhurst, Inc. | $85,000 | Primary prevention | Mental health resources and direct prevention services for children, adults, and families in crisis in low-income, under-resourced areas |
| Norton Healthcare 2: MOST | $275,000 | Treatment and recovery support | Expand Maternal Opiate and Substance Treatment (MOST) program with peer support specialists and a doula for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD |
| NuLease Medical Solutions, LLC | $245,000 | Treatment and recovery support | Provide transportation services for clients to and from OUD appointments and hire a Behavioral Health Consultant
|
| Sheared, Inc. DBA Healing Tree | $195,000 | Primary prevention | Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy for youth at risk of developing OUD |
| St John Center | $264,000 | Homelessness | Increase capacity to serve individuals experiencing homelessness, including new Opioid Response Navigator role to support clients with a variety of recovery supports |
| St. Vincent de Paul Louisville | $281,858 | Homelessness | Mental health and substance use counseling services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness |
| The Healing Place | $400,000 | Treatment and recovery support | Establish a Recovery Impact Team that coordinates with community organizations to help individuals navigate recovery options
|
| The Morton Center | $400,000 | Treatment and recovery support | Chemical dependency treatment services and family support programs |
| Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Louisville | $250,000 | Primary prevention | YNOW Mentoring Program providing one-on-one support and prevention education for youth with a parent experiencing incarceration or OUD/SUD |
Organizations recommended for this round of funding responded to a Request for Applications (RFA) in the fall of 2023. To be considered for funding, proposals had to address prevention, treatment, recovery, or homelessness and be evidence-based or evidence-informed, as well as responsive to local data and needs identified by community.
“We’re thrilled to receive these awards, which will help us provide crucial support to more parents with children under 5 in Jefferson County facing substance use disorders,” said Leigh Ann Yost, executive director, ChooseWell Communities. “This funding ensures they receive the housing, resources, and support they rightfully deserve. The ripple effects of the opioid epidemic have deeply affected our community, particularly our children, but with these resources, we can offer more assistance to a population capable of recovery and making positive contributions to our community.”
“It is an honor to work alongside our community organizations who are doing meaningful work and affecting lives profoundly impacted by the opioid epidemic,” said Dr. Inder Singal, interim medical director for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. “These grants will help create change and healing within our community. They will not only provide vital resources for addiction treatment, recovery and prevention programs, but they will help create a safer and more resilient environment where individuals can thrive free from the grip of addiction.”
“By directing these resources to these initiatives, we empower local efforts to address addiction at its roots and foster healthier, stronger communities,” said Connie Mendel, interim chief health strategist and director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. “There is still so much more work to be done. Overcoming the far-reaching effects of the opioid epidemic can’t be done quickly. We have a long journey ahead of us but with diligence and dedication, we can make sustainable progress towards lasting change.”
These expenditures must be approved by Metro Council before funds can be awarded.
Louisville Metro is one of thousands of local governments across the nation receiving settlements from companies that manufactured and distributed opioid painkillers and helped fuel the opioid epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Jefferson County is set to receive more than $57 million in direct payments. Payments began in 2022 and will be received during the 18-year lifetime of the settlement.
The city received a payment of $7.2 million for years one and two. On July 13, Mayor Greenberg announced proposals for awarding the first approximately $2 million to focus on saving lives. On August 10, 2023, Louisville Metro Council approved those proposals.
For more information about Louisville’s opioid settlement and the Opioid Settlement Advisory Board and its work, click here.
