Local organizations receive nearly $1 million in opioid settlement funds
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services announced Wednesday that it is awarding nearly $1 million in opioid settlement funding to local organizations to address the opioid epidemic.
Specifically, DHS aims to tackle disparities in opioid death rates among marginalized communities in the region, including the Black and LGBTQ+ communities. Black residents in Allegheny County face an overdose death rate triple that of whites.
In its request for proposals, DHS said that it was prioritizing proposals from small organizations, those led primarily by Black individuals and those in recovery.
The organizations that have received funding are: Sojourner House, Heuer House, The Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, Jade Wellness Center, Sisters Place and Three Rivers Youth. Grants last one year and range between $72,000 to about $240,000.
“The ongoing problem hasn’t stopped,” said Kristen Nuss, the advancement communications manager for Sojourner House. “Even though the overdose rate has dropped in Allegheny County, for the Black community it remains high.”
Sojourner House plans to use its allotment of $168,800 to raise awareness of its services in Black and brown communities by going directly into them as well as and sending out resources.
Located in East Liberty, Sojourner House is an in-patient residential facility that houses both expectant mothers and those with up to three children and allows the mothers to focus on recovery from substances. The center has 14 apartments.
“We are very pleased to have been awarded the grant,” said Ms. Nuss. “We are thrilled to be able to use the money from the opioid settlements to help continue to raise awareness.”
The funding will come from the class- action legal settlements against opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and distributors McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health. Awardees have until June 2025 to spend the money.
In addition to the Black community, those who are victims of intimate partner violence are at greater risk of opioid use disorder. A 2019 study found that among women who used opioids, 36–94% of them reported experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
The Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, another grant recipient, aims to use its $72,600 allotment to support its substance use and recovery program.
“There’s such a correlation between intimate partner violence and control around substances,” said Nicole Molinaro, president and CEO of the Women’s Center. “It’s just another way for the abuser to victimize their partner.”
She said those who have experienced domestic violence are six times more likely to develop a substance use disorder.
“We are definitely going to be putting this money to good use,” she said. Its shelter location is undisclosed in the city of Pittsburgh, but its hotline is available for calling and texting 24 hours a day, at 412687-8005.
Heuer House is another residential facility to receive the opioid settlement funding, with a $160,000 award.
Walter Butler, the executive director of the Mon Valley-based facility, said the team was “overly excited,” because they run such a small facility. Heuer House can support up to 14 residents in its soberliving house, which runs group and individual therapy, 12-step programs and one-on-one peer support during a resident’s 90-day stay.
“In the Mon Valley, these services are extremely limited,” said Mr. Butler. “Some of our residents have to travel far beyond the valley to get services like methadone. That puts them in harm’s way.”
Mr. Butler said he is currently the only case manager for Heuer House, and the money will allow him to hire two or three more case managers, helping to bring more of the necessary services closer to their residence, removing barriers such as transportation and lack of access.
“We are so excited that we are finally getting some recognition in the area to do greater work for those suffering from addiction,” he said. “Our residents will be better served as a result.”
Back in East Liberty, Three Rivers Youth was awarded the highest allotment of the group, at $238,696. The center has already been expanding, said Peggy Harris, the president and CEO of Three Rivers, partnering with North Way Ministry Hub and using its East Liberty space to host activities for Three Rivers participants, such as movie nights and life skills workshops.
“Our patients are learning how to live a full life without having to use,” said Stephanie Clark, the program director for the drug and alcohol and behavioral services at Three Rivers. “We want to host fun activities with people who are in the same space of recovery.”
Importantly, 70–80% of Three Rivers Youth staff are people of color, said Ms. Harris, and most have lived experience with some aspect of recovery. Not only that, but they already serve many Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) in the community, positioning them to establish strong ties and a sense of trust with community members.
“When we saw the opportunity, it was a natural fit,” said Ms. Harris.
“We do have our foot in the door of these communities,” said Ms. Clark. “We’re in tune to the issues that plague the BIPOC community. This is what we do. We have cultural sensitivity and cultural competency.”
Three Rivers Youth intends to use the funds to hire more staff, expand activities and programming for its patients, and support individual client’s needs, such as transportation or help finding employment.
And many of the plans among awardees center around harm reduction, the growing movement that supports the notion of making drug use safer for people struggling with addiction, instead of pushing abstinence.
“Everyone has the right to choose their path to recovery, and we want to help them on that path,” said Ms. Clark.
Three Rivers Youth and harm reduction nonprofit Sisters Place — among many other organizations in Pittsburgh — give out kits with firstaid supplies and naloxone, the opioid-overdose reversal medication.
Melissa Ferraro, the executive director of Sisters Place, said its Mt. Oliver facility offers free naloxone, xylazine and fentanyl test strips, and condoms, and she is excited to receive the award of $75,000 to begin a postcard mailing service alerting everyone in the 15210 ZIP code of its services.
“We are really interested in helping to keep the community safe,” she said. “We are hoping that if [the community] knows these items are in a judgment-free area, they will come to visit us.”
Jade Wellness Center (slated for $118,859) and Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation ($104,262) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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We are so excited that we are finally getting some recognition in the area to do greater work for those suffering from addiction. Our residents will be better served as a result.” Walter Butler executive director, Heuer House