County approves one-time opioid fund grants to two local shelters

The Board of County Commissioners voted to approve one-time payments from county opioid settlement funds: $10,000 to Hannah's House and $5,000 to Home Sweet Home. The board asked staff to draft a resolution to authorize the disbursements and agreed to revisit the opioid fund balance at its December meeting.

Why it matters: The grants provide short-term support for local shelters that serve people affected by opioid use and homelessness; the county said the payments are a one-time allocation and future support will depend on fund availability.

At the meeting, county staff recapped that the board had tabled an earlier proposal to allow time to verify account balances and possible alternative funding. After reviewing available funds, the county group recommended the two grants. A Hannah's House representative thanked the commissioners and described program successes, saying, “We have people from Coffeeville giving us cars … we’ve had the opportunity to see so many lives changed.”

Action and next steps: Commissioners approved the motion and directed staff to prepare a formal resolution and to report back in December on remaining funds and any additional requests. The disbursements were described as one-time allocations.

Details: The board’s vote was recorded as unanimous. Commissioners indicated they would reassess the opioid fund balance in December and consider additional allocations only if funding permitted.

Ending: County staff will prepare the resolution and return to the board in December with updated fund balances and any recommended next steps.