Local governments to release millions in opioid grants

In February 2023, state officials announced Pinellas County and area municipalities would receive around $110 million from a groundbreaking opioid settlement. Local leaders will soon begin disbursing the windfall.

The funding stems from arduous litigation and negotiations with conglomerates deemed at least partly responsible for the opioid epidemic. St. Petersburg will receive approximately $6 million over 18 years.

City documents state that Pinellas “continually ranks among the highest” counties in Florida for opioid-related overdose deaths, “a large portion of which originate in St. Petersburg.” In 2022, one person died every 14 hours due to the pharmaceutical drug’s proliferation.

The city reviewed applications for its first $1 million disbursement Wednesday morning. Amy Foster, housing and neighborhood services administrator, expressed her excitement to learn that the county could use its funding for recovery housing.

“It’s (housing) a huge need, and I think it’s a great way to thread the needle,” Foster said. “To be able to focus on a need we have in our community all the time, and put these opioid dollars to good use.”

Amy Foster, housing and neighborhood services administrator, also served as CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas. Photo by Mark Parker.

The city’s grants can support treatment and recovery services; overdose prevention and harm reduction; and substance use prevention and education. Foster noted the city did not receive $1 million worth of applications and money would roll over, even if it awards every nonprofit.

She said St. Petersburg will receive about $300,000 annually, but the state continuously alters its allotment formula, and “nobody really understands it.” Foster said officials waited to accrue $1 million to create a more meaningful impact.

Pinellas received nearly $20 million through the program’s first two years. The total expected distribution over 18 years is approximately $90 million.

Foster credited County Commissioner Kathleen Peters for pushing back against a consultant’s funding recommendations in late December and advocating for what was “really needed,” as informed by local service providers. Mitigating the problem’s root causes is now a focus.

Peters noted John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital has lost state funding to treat infant withdrawal syndrome. She added that most children in foster care left parents with substance use or mental health disorders.

“If we spend all this money and wait until they’re adults to deal with this, then we’re missing the boat,” Peters said. “We’ll never stop the feeder system. We’ll never break the cycle.”

The county’s Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board (OAFAB) agreed. Funding infant withdrawal syndrome programs is now a priority – as are foster care initiatives that provide substance abuse wraparound services.

Peters believes supporting those initiatives will increase the county’s return on investment. “But we can’t ignore the people who are dying, so we have to increase care coordination,” she said.

Funding data governance programs will help ensure those who need treatment are not “slipping through the cracks.” Peters added that many people who overcome their addiction have already burned bridges with friends and family.

“They have nowhere to live,” she continued. “So, housing is a huge problem.”

Pinellas County will prioritize supporting recovery housing, like the “safe havens” offered by Boley Centers, with its opioid settlement funding. Photo: Boley Centers.

While the state has increased allocations for recovery housing, Peters noted the number of available beds has significantly decreased due to soaring rent and operational costs. Step-down facilities – which provide supervised temporary shelter for those transitioning between treatment facilities and independent living – have fared even worse.

Peters said respite housing began disappearing after lawmakers discontinued funding over a decade ago. Most residents with substance abuse disorder must either return to the community immediately, “or you’re homeless on the street in the same situation.”

The county will now prioritize increasing access to safe and high-quality recovery housing. Peters said potential recipients can now request “$6 million or $10 million” since the county waited to conduct studies and accumulate settlement money before accepting applications.

She also eagerly awaits expanding the Pinellas Matters Hospital Bridge Program. The initiative provides peer specialists with lived experience who embed in emergency rooms and enlist overdose patients into various wraparound services before discharge.

Peters noted a pilot program at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg found immediate success. She hopes to establish Pinellas Matters at every hospital throughout the county, and believes it can serve as a national model.

“If we can eliminate that recidivism, that revolving door at the ER, that’s a huge return on investment on healthcare costs,” Peters said.

The OAFAB will soon issue a request for applications from qualified nonprofits. The board includes Peters; St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Division Chief Ian Womack; Pinellas Park Mayor Sandra Bradbury; Clearwater City Councilmember Kathleen Beckman; and Dr. Ulyee Choe, director of the Florida Department of Health – Pinellas County.

Peters said the board would review and discern if responses meet their vision and fill service gaps. They will then negotiate contracts and begin disbursing the money in about six months.

“If we invest this money properly, we can help people understand they can manage their disorder,” Peters said. “There’s medical treatment that can assist them, not unlike mental illness.”